Leveraging Amazon’s reverse logistics to tackle textile waste
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Challenge
The COVID-19 pandemic has created economic and social upheavals all over the world. Everyone is affected, and businesses are committed to the health, safety, and well-being of their stakeholders more than ever. The pandemic has also shone light on environmental stewardship, or lack thereof. According to Global Carbon Project (GCP), the coronavirus pandemic could result in a 5 percent fall in global carbon emissions, to its lowest levels in about a decade (The Guardian, 2020), pointing out once again that environmental degradation is largely a human problem, not a planetary one.
The virus has shown that if you wait until you can see the impact, it is too late to stop it. There is only so much the government can do in times like this, while small actions by businesses can lead to a big difference for society.
For this UI Design Challenge, I revisited a project on sustainability in the fashion industry that I worked on during college and attempted to apply the concept to Amazon’s existing value chain.
Challenge Overview
Tools
Figma, Balsamiq
Design Scope
Redesigning a portion of Amazon’s website
Duration
4 Days
1-4 May 2020
Project Vision & Context
This infographic demonstrates a social business model conceptualized to tackle textile waste in fashion industry. It was a project done for a Global Management & Sustainability course I took in college.
With fast fashion widely available, consumers are becoming accustomed to short-lived fashion, without realizing the negative impacts on the environment associated with textile waste production. It is the responsibility of the fashion companies to provide accessible and convenient methods for consumers to “return” a product at the end of its life, instead of neglecting it to be sent straight to landfills.
Based on research, I proposed a business model for fashion companies, which would reward consumers, in forms of coupons, loyalty points, etc., for sending any used, unwanted textile products back to businesses, as they would “return” an item. The process would be seamless because it utilizes part of an existing supply chain in e-commerce.
Exploration - Context
Public perception & a lack of awareness
A majority of people are not fully aware the severity of textile waste and its devastating impact on the environment. However, in reality, while more than 95 percent of used textile can be recycled, less than 15 percent are being recycled each year (The Balance, 2019)
“We want people to think of textiles like they think of paper, glass, and plastics in terms of recyclability,”
— — Jackie King, Executive Director of SMART (Secondary Materials And Recycled Textiles)
Consumers’ behaviors and pain points
According to a national survey conducted by USAgain, a for-profit textile recycling company, 80 percent of respondents were not aware of the annual textile waste, 48 percent admitted that they’ve thrown clothes in the trash (as many as 10 times a year), and 84% responded that convenience and proximity to the drop-box was an important motivator.
In another study on consumer attitudes and behavior towards domestic waste recycling, results showed that consumers have a good cause and high willingness to recycle, but efforts are hindered by distance (“shorter distance”) and convenience (“more bins”).
Significance of return management in e-commerce
According to Shopify, free shipping and returns are the biggest factors that determine consumers’ willingness to shop online. More than 60% “would buy again” from a brand offering free returns or exchanges, and 96% would shop with a retailer again based on an “easy” or “very easy” return experience (Shopify, 2019). Realizing the far-reaching impact of the return experience on customer satisfaction and retention, online retailers and brands are constantly developing ways to make the return process quicker and easier.
Refinement - Applying the concept to a real product
I decided to apply the business model to Amazon’s e-commerce supply chain because the idea aligns well with Amazon’s goal for a sustainable and convenient return system.
By leveraging technology and partnerships, Amazon is continuing to make returns faster and more convenient. In addition, it offers cost-free, label-free and box-free return options to reduce packaging used and number of pickups from drivers. They offer various drop-off methods that cater to the consumer and their needs that change from purchase to purchase.
Content Strategy & Visual Implementation
Ideation
I organized my ideas so that it would seamlessly integrate into the Amazon user flow. Then, I visualized the contents into wireframes on Balsamiq.
Wireframes
Content Strategy
I created wireframes walking through the submission of donation. I simplified the steps as much as I could, and tried to mimic Amazon’s existing return process to suggest convenience and accessibility to the consumers.
As I dissected the Amazon information architecture to determine the best user flow for my business model, I realized that Amazon has a similar function called “Amazon Second Chance” under “Shopping programs and rentals” in the “My Account” tab.
I modified the wireframes and developed hi-fi wireframes on Figma.
