INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING
One of the most effective things we can do is move away from shipping our bags from India to our warehouse in the Netherlands by air. Compared to shipping by air, the emissions per ton shipped are significantly lower. But shipping by sea is not as easy as it sounds. It takes a lot longer. While an air shipment can take only a couple of days to arrive in our warehouse, a sea shipment can take around 3 months. Having our natural leather bags stored in containers that long, also increases the risk of mold or other damage. But this does not take away our need to ship more by sea. So in order to achieve that, we continuously work on improved forecasting and better long term planning with our producers. This led to 63% sea shipments in 2023. Of course, all remaining emissions are compensated for in certified climate projects.
CARBON LEAP
Next to this, we have teamed up with CarbonLeap to inset all our inbound and outbound shipping emissions. Carbon Leap changes the fuel mix in large cargo ships from fossil fuel to sustainable biofuel. This biofuel is made of residuals such as used cooking oils or residual pulp from the paper industry, and therefore, it directly eliminates emissions from all our international shipping. With this partnership we are preventing emissions directly inside the supply chain where they are caused.
PACKAGING TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Our packaging is made from recycled materials and is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The cardboard boxes that carry all the O My Bags safely to our customers’ doorsteps come from local resources in The Netherlands.
PACKAGING FROM INDIA
Products coming from India are packed individually in plastic polybags. This is necessary to prevent them from damages like mould or scratches during transportation. During sea shipments, our bags are stored in containers for multiple months and there's a high risk of damage. We naturally prefer using the most sustainable material possible for these polybags, which is why we are always on the hunt for new innovative materials that are suitable to protect our products.
