Lehi — Route, the e-commerce platform that connects merchants and consumers by tracking every order in one place, debuted today its carbon-neutral shipping initiative–Green Package Protection–to help neutralize harmful emissions caused by the shipping industry. Route has expanded its flagship 1-Click Protect offering, backed by a bonafide insurance program, to cover more than the cost of lost, stolen or damaged packages. By introducing Green Package Protection, Route is covering the cost to help neutralize shipments with participating brand partners–at zero cost to merchants and consumers.

Green Package Protection represents the first step in a fully integrated sustainability strategy. Rebecca Minkoff, EB Denim, Logan Hollowell are among the 4,700 brand partners who are participating in a larger effort to unite fashion and technology for a greener e-commerce future. Each founder joined Route and climate action platform partner Patch in its official New York Fashion Week debut. Route also announced its support for a methane removal project at a landfill near its Utah headquarters, to help neutralize carbon emissions from the launch event.

“Route was determined to start off with a measurable, meaningful impact to neutralize carbon generated by the shipping process, beginning with a carefully researched approach to sustainability,” says Evan Walker, founder and CEO of Route. “We invested nearly a year of time and resources evaluating potential projects and partners around the globe. New York Fashion Week couldn’t be a better time for us to unveil our first initiatives, alongside technology and brand leaders who are just as committed to sustainability and the e-commerce experience for consumers.”

Each order with Green Package Protection directly supports Route’s first project, an agroforestation initiative in Brazil, which was selected in partnership with climate action platform Patch and has already helped neutralize the emissions from more than 1 million packages since its beta launch. It also brings Route closer to its own investment and goal to neutralize 100,000 tons of carbon emissions–the equivalent of planting 160,000 trees. Real-time tracking lets users see their collective impact in Route’s tracking app.

“It’s critical that every company thinks about how they can take action to address the climate crisis through their own business operations,” says Brennan Spellacy, CEO & Co-founder of Patch, Route’s carbon-neutral partner. “With Route, we’re paving the way for e-commerce to collectively contribute to positive climate solutions, putting accessibility and transparency at the forefront of sustainable practices.”

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports that in addition to emissions reductions, global carbon removal capacity needs to increase to 10 billion tons per year by 2050. Route is leveraging the scale of its e-commerce platform to empower immediate action–right now. At the same time, e-commerce has generated $257.3 billion in the US in Q2 2022 alone. Route’s e-commerce ecosystem, which includes 18,000 merchants, is making sustainability a simple step by building it into the millions of orders on the Route app each month.

“Purchase decisions are driving the future of climate action in fashion,” said designer and founder of Rebecca Minkoff and Route Green Partner. “Whether it’s ensuring our customers have access to a selection of made to order sustainable designs or Route stepping up to neutralize emissions from shipping, environmental consciousness is a fundamental step of the shoppers’ post-purchase experience.”

According to a recent report, 87 percent of buyers will purchase a product because its company advocated for an issue they cared about and 77 percent of companies surveyed found that sustainability leads to brand loyalty. A survey also finds that eight out of ten consumers factor in the environment when shopping, and will even pay a premium for green brands.

“Route’s carbon neutral shipping program gives environmentally conscious customers a way to feel good about doing business with you, and make an impact,” adds Walker. “Ultimately, our goal is to make participating in sustainability so accessible so that no one can say ‘no’ to green.”

Currently, there are 32 million shoppers connected to Route’s tracking platform and app. Providing much more than just tracking, Route connects consumers to brands who share their values with its ‘shop by cause’ feature, curated discovery of new brands and a best-in-class post-purchase experience for shoppers and growing network of merchants.

Route was founded in 2019 when Walker, an industry disruptor with over 20 years of building and selling e-commerce businesses, responded to a need for shipping tracking transparency and better resources to help small businesses to compete with massive shipping logistics. Today, Route stands on a $1.25 billion valuation and the expertise of over 500 employees.

Investment backing from sustainably-minded celebrities, leading venture capital groups and executives reinforces its leading position in e-commerce and includes: Rachel Zoe, Antoine Fuqua, Jake Gyllenhaal, Todd Boehly’s Eldridge, Madrona Venture Group, ClassPass CEO Fritz Lanman and executives and founders from Venmo, Squarespace, Zillow, Flexport, Elevate Brands and Net-a-Porter.