Making e-commerce more sustainable

Econnections’ goal is to enable 500 million sustainable online purchases by 2026. To that end, partners up and down the e-commerce supply chain collaborate and explore sustainable alternatives through pilot projects, while scaleups gain access to industry experts to address their most pressing issues.

At Deloitte, we take a multi-dimensional approach to tackling complex challenges. Through our extensive network of alliances, and by connecting the talents of more than 310,000 professionals, we provide clients with the depth and breadth of perspective needed to accelerate and deliver breakthrough solutions.

The scaleups for the accelerator program were selected based on their (projected) achievements or innovations in the fields of sustainable packaging, efficient logistics or circularity. Through Econnections, we help them develop their businesses and scale faster and smarter.

As a founding partner, our role in Econnections has been to formulate the accelerator program objectives, connect the participants and foster collaborations. We also contribute through our expertise in the fields of (cyber)technology, strategy, financial controlling, law, marketing, growth hacking, B2B sales, human capital, data analytics and tax and organisational advise to provide tailored guidance for scaleups to tackle their most important challenges.

In 2022, we have contributed to pilot projects:

Greenplan

Greenplan is a scaleup that offers a unique algorithm for the highly complex task of moving goods and people in efficient and sustainable ways. Thus far, the pilot has provided valuable insights into how an algorithmic approach to planning can cut CO2 emissions as well as a successful large-scale comparison for Greenplan’s innovative solution.

Manyfolds

Manyfolds produces tailormade, sustainable packaging that can be generated instantly. The scaleup is in conversation with IKEA to create bespoke packaging for fragile products and cut down on breakage and returns. The result: a solid business case that gives Manyfolds a valuable proof of concept.

Drop & Loop

Drop & Loop helps companies and consumers keep their used textiles out of the landfill and in the circular chain. Their proposition is ‘drop off your clothing and get rewarded’ . Over the last year, Drop & Loop have established more than 100 drop-off locations and collected 25 tons of textiles.

Returnless

Returnless and PostNL are working with mutual clients to scale back returns and increase operational efficiency as part of a 12-month pilot. The goal is to reach 40% fewer returns and speed up return processing.

PlasticFri

PlasticFri is a green-tech company that offers plant-based and eco-friendly alternatives to conventional plastics. PlasticFri and bol.com collaborated in a pilot to replace 6.000 existing small-item packages with the scaleup’s sustainable, recyclable solution. The pilot delighted customers met bol.com’s needs and provided a future perspective on the scalability of this CO2-reducing concept.

Chargetrip

Chargetrip specialises in smart routing for electric vehicles. The scaleup is in conversation with PostNL about how to best run electric fleet charging simulations, test how charging insights can improve fleet management and reduce range-anxiety for subcontractors.

Optiply

Optiply specialises in purchase and inventory automation for businesses. Optiply and PostNL are running a joint pilot to optimise inventory management with the scaleup’s innovative software solution. This ongoing pilot will help PostNL and their two webshop clients make better inventory decisions and scale back dead stock, meaning more sustainable inventory and less product waste.

We are incredibly proud that Econnections has been successful. At Deloitte, we’re committed to helping our partners make their businesses more sustainable. It’s how we lead the way to a sustainable future.

Curious about how we can help you make your business more sustainable? Let’s connect for impact.