Bigblue's commitment to greener logistics!

Since 2020, e-commerce has consistently broken all growth records. Last year, more than 42 million French consumers bought online. This means that 4 million packages are delivered every day! And online sales account for 13.4% of retail. Good news, partially, for the environment. Indeed, ordering from an e-retailer is an efficient way to reduce car travel. 

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Storing products in warehouses also limits the energy consumption of physical stores. But the growth of e-commerce raises legitimate questions about its impact on the environment. The GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions of FedEx, UPS, and USPS carriers are equivalent to the pollution generated by 7 million cars in one year. That is why it is essential to work towards a greener approach to logistics and environmentally sustainable brands.

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And to meet tomorrow's logistics challenges, we have implemented tangible actions that we hold close to our hearts! In this article, we would like to share with you our commitments to sustainable logistics and green fulfilment.

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Launched the Collectif for Sustainable Logistics

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Bigblue teamed up with Hipli, Lizee, PickMe, and Coursier.fr to launch the Collectif pour une Logistique Responsable (Collective for Responsible Logistics) is a community of logistics professionals who are committed to working towards a smarter and more sustainable logistics industry in their respective fields. They have a shared vision, which they have articulated in their Manifesto.

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Through this collective, they aim to facilitate dialogue between different stakeholders in the industry and collaborate to rethink the logistics chain in order to make it more responsible.

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Green certification for our warehouses 

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With the boom of mega warehouses, storage spaces are often under the scrutiny of environmentalists. The buildings themselves are responsible for air pollution from increased truck traffic and loss of farmland.

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To transition towards greener logistics, Bigblue's warehouse in Tigery was audited and obtained the Ecocert certification. By doing so, we comply with the European regulation for reception, storage, preparation of orders (picking), and shipping. The Ecocert organisation, which operates in more than 80 countries, validated our operations based on the strictest ecological requirements to obtain the certification. 

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A strong commitment that allows us to offer sustainable brands working with Bigblue, environmentally friendly logistics!

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Plastic-free packaging for greener logistics!

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Consumers are increasingly becoming more exigent when it comes to environmental impact. More and more buyers are also choosing eco-friendly brands that privilege plastic-free packaging. More than half of them now say that recyclability, durability, and biodegradability of packaging are important factors in their purchasing decisions.

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To meet buyer expectations, we work to eliminate plastic from our parcels. We are replacing it with recyclable materials, with an eco-design approach: minimising energy consumption, transportation and favouring sustainable materials. Our wish is not to "eliminate" a source of pollution and generate a new one - by choosing an alternative that consumes a lot of water or does not meet the hygiene and safety requirements, for example-, but to transform the delivery chain positively.

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Logistics: 100% of our servers powered by green energy

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Data servers (or data centres) are essential in the network infrastructure, but they are also the Achilles heel of green logistics. They remain large consumers of energy... To reduce their impact on the environment, we have been thinking about solutions that consume less power.

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Among the solutions available to us: making our equipment consume less energy by limiting their need for air conditioning, which represents one-third of a data centre's consumption. For example, "free cooling" allows us to cool them from existing sources (outside air or heat removal at night). 

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100% of our servers are powered by renewable energies, which reduce the impact on the environment. A photovoltaic power plant or heat generated by horticultural greenhouses are among the avenues we will explore to achieve this goal very soon! 

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Teaming up with sustainable partners

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Our commitment to green logistics also includes the companies we work with. Among the partners who push us to the top in terms of ecological impact, we wanted to introduce you to: 

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• Hipli: a company that offers eco-responsible packaging, for an additional cost of only 2 euros. Fully reusable, your customers simply cut the seal, pick up their order, fold the package and slip it into any mailbox for free so that it can be picked up and sent to a new address;
  

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An algorithm to avoid delivery errors and optimise packaging

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We have developed a packaging optimisation algorithm. Bigblue calculates the ideal packaging to reduce the size of the parcel. Therefore, reducing the shipping costs and the carbon footprint of your deliveries. On average, the algorithm allows you to reduce the packaging volume of your orders by 22%.

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And to avoid delivery failures due to errors in the customer's address (autocorrect, typos, wrong postcode). We have created an algorithm that will warn you, with notifications or emails, if there are any problems with the address to avoid unnecessary return trips. 

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Highlight the environmental commitment of your brand with Bigblue

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More than ever, French consumers choose merchants who are committed to the environment. Indeed, more than 60% of them are concerned about the environmental impact of their online purchases. 

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To attract and retain these consumers, you need to highlight the sustainability of your brand, and communicate the efforts you are making to transition to green logistics. Bigblue will help you in this endeavour by sharing this commitment.

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Choosing us as your logistics partner is also joining our mission to work towards a more sustainable e-commerce.