Circular economy
Working together towards more sustainability

The sparkling water company SodaStream focuses both on sustainability for its products, as well as on logistics. The company is pursuing a range of measures to reduce its ecological footprint and make a positive contribution to climate protection. SodaStream offsets 115 percent of the CO₂ emissions from its 60-litre cylinders, thereby actively supporting climate protection projects in Switzerland that promote environmental protection measures and sustainable development.

SodaStream cooperates with Swiss Post for its logistics. As part of this collaboration, the two companies want to implement more efficient delivery solutions, optimize transport processes and reduce emissions. SodaStream refills the returned CO₂ cylinders and puts them back into circulation. This reuse principle increases efficiency in logistics and reduces resource consumption. With SodaStream, households can save up to 1,000  plastic bottles per year, reducing the need to transport single-use bottles and helping to reduce plastic waste significantly. As a result, SodaStream shows how targeted measures in logistics make an important contribution to the circular economy and environmental protection.

How does the process work?

1. Order: customers order new cylinders online or in-store. Orders placed by 11.30 a.m. will be delivered the next day. Orders placed after this will take a day longer.
2. Preparation: the customer deposits the empty cylinders, unpackaged, in their private letter box (mailbox) by 7 a.m. on the delivery day.
3. Delivery and exchange: Swiss Post delivers the new cylinders and takes the empty cylinders away. It couldn’t be simpler.
4. Reuse: SodaStream checks the cylinders and then refills them with CO₂. This means they are ready to use for the next customer.

Routers and other electronic devices from telecommunications customers are technically complex and contain valuable raw materials. It therefore makes sense to extend their service life as far as possible. Sunrise and ALSO have set up a circular system for this purpose. Routers and other electronic devices are reused as often as possible and repaired or refurbished as required. They have developed this simple and reliable reverse logistics process for this service in cooperation with Swiss Post. Sunrise customers can return devices they no longer require by receiving a return label and having the device collected conveniently from their home.

How does the return and reuse process work?

1. Order: a customer informs Sunrise that their device is defective or no longer required, e.g. when changing their subscription.

2. Preparation: Sunrise sends the customer a return label and a collection tab. The customer packs the old device, affixes the return label to the parcel and leaves it in their private letter box for collection. They then attach the collection tab to the letter box.

3. Collection: the mail carrier sees the tab on their next delivery round and takes the consignment with them.
4. Repair: Sunrise or ALSO checks the devices and repairs them if necessary.
5. Handover: the devices are handed on to the next customer.

This process is a classic example of refurbishing – a core element of the circular economy. With this process, Sunrise and ALSO actively contribute to reducing electronic waste and are saving valuable resources.

The online platform Marko.ch brings used clothing, electronics and furniture back into circulation. Buying or selling second-hand items on this platform means fewer new products have to be created and transported, reducing the impact on the environment and strengthening the circular economy.

Marko works with Swiss Post to make shipping as easy as possible. Sellers receive a pre-printed label and a collection tab that they use to prepare the parcel for shipping. Swiss Post then collects the parcel directly from the mailbox. This saves journeys, reduces the number of empty runs and makes better use of existing transport structures.

Marko also uses artificial intelligence to improve shipping processes. Algorithms are used to plan routes more efficiently, shorten delivery journeys and reduce energy consumption. By doing so, the platform is supporting more sustainable logistics in everyday life.

How does the sales process work on the Marko platform?

1. Offer: the seller decides to sell an item of clothing or an object and places this on the platform.
2. Sale: the buyer finds the item and buys it directly on the platform.
3. Preparation: the seller receives a collection tab and a label from Marko.ch.
4. Shipping: the seller packs the product, affixes the label to the parcel and places it in the mailbox, to which they attach the tab. The mail carrier sees the shipping tab and takes the parcel with them.
5. Delivery: Swiss Post delivers the parcel directly to the buyer by electric vehicle, thereby helping protect the environment.