Trace Flipkart’s journey to 100% plastic elimination, which has been marked by an orchestrated effort to create a positive environmental and social impact by introducing the most scalable sustainable alternatives.
On July 7, 2021, Flipkart announced that it had attained the milestone of 100% single-use plastic elimination packaging throughout its own supply chain. Having initiated the drive to reduce plastic in 2018, Flipkart in 2019 announced the ambitious commitment to eliminate single-use plastic by 2021. In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic introduced new variables into the business, Flipkart ensured that the drive towards sustainable packaging did not slow down. The milestone was achieved while navigating a tough year impacted by COVID-19.
Flipkart’s sustainability journey has been marked by an orchestrated effort to create a positive environmental and social impact. This milestone was achieved by introducing the most scalable sustainable alternatives such as eco-friendly paper shreds, replacing poly pouches with recycled paper bags, replacing bubble wraps with carton waste shredded material and 2 Ply roll, to name a few. Throughout this process, Flipkart has also ensured that it is fully compliant with all EPR regulations and through its network of recyclers, the equivalent quantity of single-use plastic going to consumers is fully recycled.
Some of the other key initiatives by Flipkart include ‘E-commerce ready packaging’, where Flipkart has been able to ship close to 15% of products without adding a secondary layer of packaging. Flipkart’s ambition is to reduce the need for an outer layer by working with brands across apparel, electronics and home furnishings to ship their products in the original manufacturer/ brand packaging. Flipkart also is working towards making sure that the packaging used does not cause any deforestation by scaling packaging from recycled and alternative materials.
Flipkart is now focused on enabling our seller ecosystem to adopt sustainable packaging alternatives as well, and to create positive environmental and social impact across the entire supply chain. In the near future, some of the other measures that Flipkart is working to realize include responsible forestry and sourcing, plastic-free returns in the supply chain, and plastic-free returns for sellers.
Design: Sana Khan
Also read: 100% electric mobility by 2030 — Flipkart drives towards sustainability with EV100
