Going from 1000 ft to 100, let’s take a closer look at the opportunities for positive social and environmental impact your company can take. Keep in mind that this is an intro article - we’re trying to help you get started, but there’s lots of opportunity to expand your efforts well beyond what we’re sharing in this course.
Let’s start with the environment. We’ll cover: product lifecycle, sustainable sourcing and manufacturing, made to order, sustainable packaging and shipping.
By the end of this section, you should have the tools to begin answering the following questions about your business:
- What happens to my product when the customer is done using it?
- What is the impact of the materials my product is made with?
- What material will I use for packaging this product?
- How can I reduce my shipping emissions?
Product lifecycle
Let’s begin by examining the concept of product life cycle. Thinking about product life cycle will help you to answer the “What happens to my product when the customer is done using it?” question.
Many businesses employ a linear product lifecycle where a product is manufactured, shipped to a customer, used for a period of time and then discarded, in most cases to a landfill.
A circular life cycle closes the loop on the linear model and redirects materials from going to a landfill into a new life in new products. The circular supply chain model turns waste into economic opportunity while reducing negative environmental impact. This forward-thinking approach is becoming more common as consumers and businesses become more aware and demand greater environmental responsibility.
Let’s go back to the original question: “What happens to my product when the customer is done using it?”. There are a lot of possibilities! Is it possible to incorporate these considerations into your product design, or alternatively, can you incorporate that “waste” into making new products? Can the product be re-used? Recycled? Can it be made from different materials or designed in a way that results in a different outcome at the end of its life? For example, many companies are now starting to take back their products to create new products again.
An exceptional example of a brand creating product circularity is Genusee, an eyeglass brand based out of Flint, Michigan USA. In response to the Flint Water crisis, they began manufacturing eyewear made of the surplus water bottle plastic. They take waste and turn it into an enjoyable product without needing to create new and unnecessary materials. To close the loop on their products life cycle and answer the question “ What happens to my product when the customer is done using it?” they created a buy back program where they buy the old glasses back from their customers and do 1 of 3 actions, put the plastic materials back into their supply chain, refurbish and resell the old pair or donate them to those in need.
When using the principle of Sustainability by Design, thinking about the end of a product’s life first is a good way to infuse sustainable thinking right from the beginning. If you understand what will happen after the use of your product and at the end of its life, you can then consider the materials and design you will need to ensure that the product can be used for something else, closing the loop on the traditional linear lifecycle and avoid going to a landfill.
You now understand basic product lifecycle considerations. It’s now time to dive into product sourcing and how to improve your environmental impact through the materials you are using.
Sustainable sourcing and manufacturing
When developing your products or sourcing new ones, it’s important to know what you products are being made with and the impact of your manufacturing methods. Here, you can ask yourself the question “What is the impact of the materials my product is made with?”
Some elements to consider when understanding what your products are being made of include:
- How much carbon is emitted to manufacture the product?
- How much water is needed during the process?
- Is the material you are using reusable, biodegradable or easily recyclable?
- Is the material you use naturally derived or organic?
- What materials are the dyes made of?
- Are you using any toxic materials in the production of your products?
Finding materials and suppliers that take environmental caution can take some time. Don’t be afraid to ask these questions and to dive deeper with your supplier if you aren’t sure about something. Be cautious of suppliers that do not wish to share environmental information with you.
We’ve spoken with the team at Mara Hoffman to learn how they approach sustainability in raw materials.
- The first step Mara Hoffman and her team took to implement more sustainable practices across their supply chain was to examine their raw materials and swap out one of the standard fabrics used in her popular swimwear line for a textile made of 78% recycled polyester. Making this first step provided Mara Hoffman with proof that incremental climate positive changes could generate a positive impact.
- The brand also moved from screen-printing to digital printing. This cuts down on water usage and reduces waste by allowing for a more precise placement of prints. From there, the ratio of sustainable fabrications to unsustainable ones has gotten continuously better every season. The brand soon switched to organic cotton and began relying on companies like Lenzing to source sustainable wood pulp-based fabrics like modal and rayon.
Okay, now that you’re thinking about product materials and sourcing, let’s introduce you to a production method that can reduce over production called Made to Order.
Made to order
For those of you not interested in designing products from scratch and have come to Shopify more interested in starting a print on demand company, there are still ways to make better choices. First of all, a made to order company means that you won’t have to hold too much in inventory and risk over producing and creating waste. Made to order products are only produced and shipped once there has been a purchase so you only produce as much as you sell! Great news for the environment and also for your bottom line, too.
If you are running or starting a print on demand store, more good news! Many of the print on demand apps in the Shopify app store have started to offer more eco friendly products as well. You can find this information in their catalogs, where they indicate the brands they carry so you can learn more about their impacts on people and the planet if you choose to. However, there are some gaps with these apps and understanding the full extent of the supply chain is still difficult. But if you are looking to start a print on demand store, it’s good to know that some options exist that will reduce your environmental footprint.