JD expands green packaging drive

Chinese e-commerce giant JD is expanding its eco-friendly packaging program as part of ongoing efforts to promote sustainable consumption.

Under the new program, JD’s customers can have thousands of products delivered in reusable small and medium-sized parcels, making e-commerce more environmentally friendly and reducing costs.

JD estimates the program can save 32.5 million yuan ($4.7 million) per year if 10 percent of orders use the new packaging.

Offered for free, the service allows JD customers to select the reusable packaging option on the billing page. Those opting to do so will return the packaging — a “green box” that can be used approximately 10 times — to delivery personnel after receiving their order.

Customers who participate will be rewarded with JD’s Jingdou loyalty points, which can be exchanged for products on its online marketplace.

Small and medium-sized deliveries will take adavantage of the recycled packaging, including jewelry, smartphones, watches, and makeup and skincare products, with the exception of fresh food.

The service has already kicked off in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong province, and expanded to Chengdu in Sichuan province and five other cities in late October.

By the end of the year, JD will provide recycled packaging options in 20 cities across the country.

“JD is always exploring ways to reduce e-commerce waste through green logistics,” said Bing Fu, head of planning and development at JD Logistics.

“By using this green pack- aging, and taking part in our other innovative recycling programs, JD customers can enjoy the convenience of e-commerce while knowing that their purchases incur minimal carbon emissions.”

The tech heavyweight has long taken an increasingly green approach to logistics, across diverse industries. Last year, JD Logistics unveiled its Green Stream Initiative, JD’s largest environmental project to date. It promotes the use of sustainable packaging materials and aims to reduce the environmental impact along the entire supply chain.

By deploying green boxes, JD expects to reduce the number of boxes used throughout the supply chain by 10 billion by 2020. The company also aims for recyclable materials to comprise 80 percent of its packaging, biodegradable materials to form over 50 percent of its plastic packaging, and 100 percent of its logistics packaging to be composed of recyclable or reusable materials.

JD introduced a fleet of hydrogen energy delivery trucks to Shanghai earlier this year, marking the first significant commercial deployment of hydrogenpowered vehicles for logistics in China. It was also the company’s latest move as part of the overall goal to make its last mile of distribution process carbon-free.

In early June, the company unveiled a fleet of 50 solarpowered delivery vehicles in Beijing.