How eCommerce Brands Can Scale With Sustainable Fulfilment

UK eCommerce is scaling fast, but carbon costs are scaling with it. How sustainable fulfilment, smarter packaging, and greener logistics can break that link.

UK eCommerce is not slowing down. Online retail revenues continue to climb, consumer expectations keep rising, and brands that once shipped a few hundred orders a month are now processing thousands. Growth, by most measures, is the goal.

But growth has a shadow. Every additional order generates emissions, not just through delivery, but across warehousing, packaging, returns, and the dozens of operational touchpoints that sit between a customer clicking “buy” and a parcel arriving at their door. Carbon emissions from eCommerce logistics are forecast to reach approximately 25 million CO2 metric tons by 2030, and the bulk of that increase will come from brands scaling up without rethinking how their operations are structured.

The challenge for online retailers is no longer about choosing between growth and sustainability. It is about recognising that the operational decisions made during periods of rapid scaling have an outsized impact on a brand’s long-term environmental footprint, and that the earlier those decisions are made, the less costly they are to correct later.

The emissions most brands overlook

Most sustainability conversations in eCommerce tend to focus on what customers can see: recyclable mailers, carbon-neutral checkout options, and greener delivery choices. These are important steps, but for scaling brands, they only scratch the surface.

The larger, less visible contributors include:

Warehouse energy use — as order volumes increase, so does the demand for warehouse space, lighting, climate control, and equipment. If a fulfilment centre runs on fossil fuels, every order compounds the problem.
Packaging waste — oversized boxes, non-recyclable void fill, and single-use plastics add material waste and increase dimensional weight charges with every shipment.
Returns processing — UK fashion returns alone generate significant waste, with a substantial proportion of returned items ending up in landfill because they cannot be resold. Each return journey adds transport emissions on top.
Scope 3 emissions — these indirect emissions, generated across a brand’s supply chain, make up the majority of most eCommerce businesses’ carbon footprint. Yet research suggests only around a quarter of reporting companies actively engage with suppliers to reduce them.

The pattern is clear. As order volumes grow, these hidden emissions scale in parallel, unless brands make deliberate choices about how and where their operations run.

Operational decisions that compound over time

The good news is that reducing emissions at scale does not require dramatic overhauls. It requires making smarter choices about the sustainable fulfilment infrastructure that supports growth.

Position stock closer to customers

Inventory placement is one of the most effective and underused levers. Holding stock in strategically located fulfilment hubs, closer to where customers are concentrated, reduces the distance each parcel travels. A brand shipping across the UK and into Europe can significantly cut last-mile emissions simply by positioning inventory in multiple locations rather than relying on a single central warehouse. This approach also shortens transit times and improves the customer experience.

Right-size packaging and go recyclable

Using boxes and mailers that fit the product reduces material waste, cuts dimensional weight charges from carriers, and lowers transport emissions per parcel. Switching to recyclable or compostable materials can also help brands stay ahead of the UK Plastic Packaging Tax, which applies to packaging containing less than 30% recycled plastic.

Choose carriers with lower emissions profiles

Not all couriers operate with the same environmental impact. Some invest in electric vehicles and optimised routing. Others do not. Working with a fulfilment partner that uses a mixed carrier strategy, prioritising greener options where available, can lower a brand’s delivery footprint without affecting speed or reliability.

Consolidate shipments where possible

Batching orders heading to the same area means fewer individual trips and lower per-parcel emissions. Many customers are willing to wait for grouped deliveries when the environmental benefit is explained clearly.

None of these changes are headline-grabbing on their own. But they compound. A brand making these choices at 500 orders a month builds habits and systems that continue to pay off at 5,000 or 50,000.

Why your fulfilment partner’s footprint is your footprint

A brand’s sustainability credentials are only as strong as its supply chain. The partner storing stock, packing orders, and coordinating deliveries every day has a direct influence on Scope 3 emissions, often more so than anything a brand does in-house.

This makes partner selection a strategic decision, not just a logistical one. Verifiable credentials are a good starting point:

B Corp certification — a rigorous, third-party assessment of social and environmental performance
ISO 14001 — signals strong environmental management systems
Transparent carbon reporting — real data on operational emissions, not just pledges
Recyclable packaging as standard — not an optional add-on at extra cost

Consumer expectations are shifting in the same direction. Over half of UK shoppers now consider environmental factors when buying online. Regulatory pressure is tightening too, with UK Sustainability Reporting Standards and Extended Producer Responsibility regulations raising the bar on what brands are expected to measure and disclose.

Brands that build sustainability into their supply chain and fulfilment operations now will be better positioned than those scrambling to retrofit when compliance deadlines arrive.

Building it in, not bolting it on

Scaling sustainably is not about slowing growth. It is about ensuring that growth does not come at an escalating environmental cost that eventually becomes a commercial liability.

The decisions made during the scaling phase, where stock sits, how it is packed, who ships it, and what happens when it comes back, set the trajectory for a brand’s carbon footprint for years to come. Sustainability works best when it is embedded in operations from the start, treated as a long-term cost and brand advantage rather than a compliance exercise.

The brands that get this right will not just reduce their environmental impact. They will build more resilient, more efficient businesses in the process.

Green Fulfilment is a B Corp-certified 3PL headquartered in Glasgow, with fulfilment centres across the UK and EU. To learn more about how sustainable fulfilment supports growing eCommerce brands, visit Green Fulfilment.