Less is more.

The ecommerce segment of the retail market was expected to grow by over 23% in 2017, and this rapid growth is expected to continue.  A by-product of this expansion is an increasing demand for more sustainable shipping solutions, a demand 3M is successfully addressing.

Take the Command™ Picture Hanging Strips Value Pack (24 strips) retail package as an example.  In addition to being a convenient, damage-free way to hang pictures, 3M has now created a convenient way for ecommerce retailers to ship the product more efficiently:
 

• The clear plastic “clamshell” packaging has been eliminated.  In a retail environment, this see-through plastic allows the consumer to see the product and provides in-store theft prevention.  It is not needed for products sold via ecommerce.
• The paperboard card with a peg hole, which is needed for store displays, was removed.
• The need to “over box” the product with another shipper was eliminated.  The product is simply packed directly into a bubble mailer.  The ecommerce retailer then applies a mailing label and ships. 

By optimizing the packaging, the 3M team reduced shipping weight/volume for 3M and the ecommerce retailer and packaging waste/volume for the consumer:
 

• Reduced the weight of packaging per Picture Hanging Strip that 3M sends to the ecommerce retailer by 24.4%.
• Reduced packaging weight per strip by 57.5% % (from ecommerce retailer to the end consumer). 

Clearly, ecommerce packaging can produce many Sustainability benefits including an improved transportation footprint and less packaging waste to recycle/landfill.