Alibaba highlighted sustainability during this year’s Singles’ Day through its logistic network Cainiao’s recyclable initiative. During the pre-sale period, millions of deliveries ordered on Tmall were shipped to Cainiao Smart Logistics Network’s warehouses where they were packaged with recyclable materials. The packaging used at Cainiao warehouses was almost wholly biodegradable, and half of paper packaging did not use tape, making it more environmentally friendly.
Cainiao also promoted recycling among consumers: they established 80,000 recycling stations across the country. They encouraged consumers to take part in the scheme by issuing “green energy” points on their mini program “Cainiao Ocean.”
The use of packaging to cater for the vast number of orders means that the festival has a significant environmental impact. If China’s e-commerce sector maintains its current rate of growth, the use of packaging material for deliveries will reach 41.3 million tonnes by 2025.
Find out more about the environmental impact of Singles’ Day in our case study and mini documentary:
