How Finnish E-commerce SMEs Reduce Packaging Waste : a Small-Scale Qualitative Study

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to understand what strategies the smaller Finnish e-commerce companies use in their operations to reduce waste. Online shopping is major trend nowadays but to understand the impact of unsustainable sides of e-commerce, this study focuses on one specific area i.e. the packaging waste. Finland has very strong sustainability targets and it needs to focus on every smaller area that contribute to this problem. The main objective of this research is to examine the strategies used by Finnish e-commerce SMEs in reducing their packaging waste and how effective they are. It also aims to understand how policies and regulations are packaging for SMEs to implement strategies but also to make changes in their operations. Additionally, this thesis looks at how effective and durable sustainable strategies are in the long run. By doing this research the aim was to help smaller online shops in their decision-making process. These companies could take examples from the examples in this thesis and implement them in their operations so that it could help them achieve sustainability goals. By making aware of the challenges, it also intends to prepare policy makers to design regulations that are suitable not only for big companies but also for smaller companies.