Identifying Opportunities for a Company: J&T Express

Trends in the market show that sustainability is becoming more important in

consumer choices and that the majority look for and expect brands to become more
committed to positive environmental impacts (Ordinario, 2021). This is an important problem
for the Philippines as according to the ADR Institute-cited Ocean Conservatory and
McKinsey Report on Ocean Conservancy (2017), the country produces 2.7 million metric
tons of plastic waste annually. Additionally, with the rise of online shopping, waves of plastic
packaging destined for landfills, the oceans, and the general environment are generated
(Chua, 2021). According to Jabines (2021), the global pandemic led to an increased reliance
on plastic, with waves of plastic waste being generated because of online shopping, which
makes the mitigation of this growing problem urgent. This is an opportunity for J&T
Philippines to make a difference through a sustainability program that creates shared value
(CSV). Recognizing the unique role they play in the online shopping industry as one of the
top couriers in the country and a big contributor to the growing plastic waste problem in the
Philippines as a partner of the popular e-commerce site Shopee, the firm can use their
resources to provide a service that helps ensure that the plastic waste they produce from
their service is properly managed.
By starting a program during the pandemic where online shopping has become the
norm, and limiting the initiative within Metro Manila to start, J&T can use their resources to
make a difference in reducing improper plastic-waste management by actively controlling
and taking responsibility over where their plastic pouches end up after use — ensuring that
they end up being recycled instead of polluting our oceans or wasting away in landfills.
To implement this, J&T will first partner up with The Plastic Flamingo (aka The Plaf),
a social enterprise tackling plastic pollution by collecting and recycling plastic. After
partnering with the company, the firm can organize installing collection points within J&T’s
Metro Manila warehouses to serve as plastic waste collection points, particularly for returned
(used) and damaged plastic pouches. This means the company is providing an opportunity
that ensures that the plastic pouches used in their service are properly managed after use.
Plastic used from J&T’s offices and warehouses can also be directly donated to the
collection point. This ensures that oceanbound and landfill-bound plastics are rerouted to
The Plaf’s recycling centers.
J&T can offer customers the option to leave their opened plastic pouches to delivery
drivers for free amidst the global pandemic restrictions — to have these dropped off at
collection-point-warehouses for The Plaf’s plastic recycling. In order to encourage
compliance from customers, J&T will partner with Shopee in order to allow customers to
earn Shopee “coins” that they can use on the Shopee app for every pouch they give back to
J&T drivers after every delivery. This encourages customers to not only donate their plastic
pouches, but also to choose J&T at checkout in order to receive these Shopee “coins.” This
 Identifying Opportunities for a Company: J&T Express

also aligns with J&T’s mission to “encourage the development of business partners to be
bigger and stronger” since Shopee sellers who have J&T as a shipping option can benefit
from increased sales with the Shopee “coins” as an incentive for buyers to make purchases.
Once plastics are collected, J&T will allocate their own trucks to The Plastic Flamingo
to deliver the donated plastics to their recycling warehouses that transform plastic into eco-
lumbers which are then turned into emergency transitional centers for communities hit by
natural disasters (The Plaf, n.a.). Thus, the firm is able to contribute to both an
environmental effort, by participating in proper plastic waste management, and a social effort
by providing resources used by The Plaf to benefit communities in need.
Providing this service for their customers that allows them to ensure their plastic is
being donated and properly recycled for a good cause would not only positively reflect on the
business by creating value for their customers through the environmental aspect, but also
encourages further compliance through the “monetary” incentive. This service uses J&T’s
existing resources — its drivers, vehicles, trucks, and warehouses — to provide a free
service that takes care of plastic waste management for its community of primarily online
buyers and the company itself. This shows customers that J&T Express Philippines is taking
steps to reduce their carbon footprint through proper management of their plastic waste,
which can help build a stronger brand reputation by showing customers that the company is
willing to contribute to the environmental efforts. More importantly, the program creates
value for the customers and the business — increasing their competitive advantage by
encouraging customers to choose the courier (increasing their sales), encouraging sellers to
have J&T as a shipping option on Shopee (helping their partners grow), and targeting a
societal need by ensuring their plastic pouches are recycled instead.
By reconceiving products and markets through providing a service using J&T’s
existing resources to lessen environmental damage caused by improper plastic waste
management, the company is able to create economic value in a way that also creates value
for society by addressing the societal need to help the environment.
 Identifying Opportunities for a Company: J&T Express

References
Chua, J.M. (2021, January 8). Online shopping has boomed in the pandemic. But
what about all the packaging? Retrieved April 28, 2021, from
https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22214017/online-shopping-pandemic-packaging-
ecommerce-waste-plastic.
Jabines, J. (2021, January 3). Adding to Cart or Adding to Plastic Pollution?
Retrieved April 29, 2021, from https://www.theplaf.com/plasticblogs.
Ocean Conservancy. (2017). Stemming the Tide: Land-based strategies for a plastic-
free ocean. MacKinsey Center for Business and Environment. Retrieved April 29,
2021, from https://oceanconservancy.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/full-report-
stemming-the.pdf.
Ordinario, C. (2021, March 24). Demand for natural, environment-friendly consumer
goods on the rise, survey shows. Business Mirror. Retrieved May 1, 2021 from
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/03/24/demand-for-natural-environment-friendly-
consumer-goods-on-the-rise-survey-shows/.
The Plaf. (n.a.) What we do: collect and transform plastics into eco-lumbers!
Retrieved April 29, 2021, from https://www.theplaf.com/.