Environmentally friendly products are a new trend! AliExpress, Etsy and other platforms are targeting this category

Environmentally friendly products have received a lot of attention on AliExpress. According to a survey by AliExpress, one of the main trends in environmentally friendly shopping is that sellers have a strong interest in canvas shopping bags .

In March , sales of such goods increased by 91% compared to the same period last year . Among the most popular shopper models for Russian sellers are canvas bags with stenciled patterns that can withstand a load of 10 kg. On average, a consumer spends 700-800 rubles on canvas bags .

In addition, solar lights are one of the most popular sustainable lifestyle products on the Russian market . It is reported that the turnover of such goods from local sellers increased tenfold last year . Users usually choose environmentally friendly floor-standing solar lights in the garden , which cost between 500 and 1,500 rubles .

Energy-saving light bulbs have become very popular in 2021. The turnover of these devices increased by 70% compared to the same period in 2020. Users most often choose LED lamps with warm white light , the average cost of such bulbs is 100 to 500 rubles.

Analysts also noted an increase in demand for lunch boxes and containers made of heat-resistant bioplastics . Experts link the popularity of lunch boxes to users' special attention to healthy eating after the epidemic . Another popular category is cans for storing bulk products: users bought them 3.4 times more frequently in the past year .

As an e-commerce platform for handmade and vintage goods , Etsy also pays great attention to environmental protection. The platform not only reduces carbon emissions in transportation, but also plans to reduce carbon emissions in materials used for packaging and transportation .

Etsy recently launched a plan to reduce carbon emissions caused by shipments in 2019. It then pledged in February 2021 to achieve net zero emissions by 2030 and will now reduce carbon emissions from packaging by 100%.

The plan states that when a consumer buys an item on Etsy or its Reverb music equipment marketplace, the company measures in advance the amount of carbon emissions released into the atmosphere after shipping that product and invests in projects that reduce carbon emissions by the same amount.

Etsy includes the carbon emissions of materials used to package items in the program and increases its investment in offsets accordingly, with the cost of this being covered by the platform at no additional cost to buyers or sellers .

According to Etsy, 86% of its sellers already reuse packaging .

Etsy said that in 2020 , the platform offset approximately 404,439 metric tons of carbon, equivalent to protecting 825 square miles of U.S. forest for a year.

In addition to offsets, Etsy has pledged to take long-term emissions reduction steps , including encouraging its 4.4 million Etsy and Reverb sellers to use more sustainable packaging materials and offering opportunities to learn how to reduce their business footprint .

The platform is exploring ways to connect sellers with more sustainable packaging materials, which may include circular packaging options , advocating for public policies that will drive the decarbonization of the logistics industry, and more .

“One of the most common sustainability challenges facing online shopping is the amount of packaging materials used and the types of packaging materials chosen,” said Chelsea Mozen, Etsy’s director of sustainability and impact engagement . “It’s always disappointing when your keychain arrives in a box the size of an elephant, or filled with hard-to-recycle packing peanuts and bubble wrap.”

In addition to working hard to reduce packaging emissions, Etsy also encourages sellers to sell environmentally friendly products and provide environmentally friendly packaging.

Environmentally friendly products

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