Our role at SYKES Fulfilment Services is to give our customers great service.
But we’re also doing our bit to save the world. For example, we have made enormous progress in cutting waste, water and energy consumption. We also have a supplier Code of Conduct to ensure our partners operate to our environmental values. Since setting up our sustainability programme in 2014, SYKES has reduced its carbon footprint by 90%.
But we’re always looking to go further.
And we recently received a client brief that has allowed us to do just that.
The brief required us to provide totally sustainable packaging. That meant that “the consumer should be able to recycle everything that turns up at their door”. For cost reasons, the product didn’t lend itself to the normal eco-friendly cardboard solutions that we normally provide for clients.
So, with the help of one of our suppliers, we set about finding an alternative solution. And what we’ve come up is unique, innovative – and a “first” in the UK fulfilment market. Working in partnership, we were able to source a manufacturer of sugar cane carrier bags. These have now been designed to our specifications, and the manufacturer has added the carrier bags to their portfolio.
Unlike a standard carrier bag, our sugar cane bag is fully recyclable and degrades when buried in landfill.
Needless to say, it’s an innovation that’s been extremely well received by our client. For this one new client alone, we’ll initially be ordering 100,000 bags, enough to fulfil their UK product distribution for about eight months. Looking forward, our client is also looking to expand this innovative across other European countries.
We’re now in the process of offering this solution to other clients. It’s a major step forward in packaging because we send over half a million items in plastic carrier bags every year from our fulfilment centre in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders. By changing to an eco-friendly alternative, we will be making a significant contribution to cutting plastic waste.
That’s good for us, good for our clients, and good news for the environment. For more info, please get in touch!
