We are proud to announce that Commands is now one of the few warehouse & fulfilment centres in the UK with organic certification.
We worked with the Biodynamic Association to secure our certification. And mine and Andy’s thanks go out to our brilliant Team. They do what they do so well that our BDA inspection went by without a hitch.
According to a report published earlier this year (by the Soil Association) 2020 saw a surge in demand for organic products from locked-down shoppers, with a rise in sales of 12.6%. This is the highest growth level for 15 years! The report also revealed growth in Organic via online and home delivery of 36%. A quick look at Google and other search engines, too, and you get even more of a sense of the growth in the organic market, as the number of organic product related searches online has almost doubled in the past year.
What does organic certification mean for a fulfilment business? And why should it matter to you?
A growing number of our customers stock some organic products, and some are moving towards 100% organic. They have taken the time to carefully source organic products, so delivering their vision through the whole supply chain is important to them. We are delighted that, by being certified as Organic, our fulfilment and warehousing services can tangibly contribute to their vision.
The standards required to achieve organic certification, are high. They are legally set out by the EU (Article 29 Regulation No 834/2007 & No 889/2008). The BDA physically inspect the premises and critically assess areas such as record keeping, labelling, stock separation, materials and cleaning processes. And achieving these standards matters to our non-organic customers, too. Alongside our ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications, our BDA Organic Certification is another demonstration of the careful processes we have in place to ensure all customer stock is stored, moved and shipped with the utmost care and attention.
Achieving organic certification is an important step for us. It goes hand-in-hand with our commitment to make sure we are adapting and improving our service, particularly in the area of sustainability. It’s an area we know matters to our customers and their customers. One of the key ways that e-commerce businesses can impact on sustainability is, of course, packaging. E-commerce packaging needs to be functional, protect products while also allowing brands to implement their marketing strategies. It is also part of what makes a retailer sustainable in the eyes of a consumer who receives their online order.
New sustainable packaging options
So, alongside BDA Organic certification, we continue to work with our customers to add new, kind-to-the-planet, packaging materials. Our new eco-chips are made from potato starch that dissolves in water and is 100% biodegradable and compostable. We have also introduced 100% recycled paper pulp, or moulded pulp, drinks packaging. It is extremely lightweight yet strong, durable, and rigid. Perfect for fragile bottles. Again, they are completely biodegradable and compostable.
We are also working towards ISO 14001 certification. We will have news on that soon, I hope.
As always, please do get in touch if we can help you or if you have any questions about e-commerce fulfilment and whether it is right for you.
Stay safe and well.
Maureen Dunlop