Cainiao announced progress in its sustainability initiatives resulting in a reduced carbon footprint for the company.

The logistics arm of Alibaba Group Holding Limited announced its ESG achievements and highlights as reflected in the newly-released Alibaba Group Environmental, Social and Governance Report 2023 (ESG Report).

During the fiscal year 2023, Cainiao reported a reduction in packaging material usage within the industry and among consumers through measures such as the introduction of industry-specific packaging solutions to reduce the use of carton boxes.

The logistics subsidiary of Alibaba Group reported that it reduced its packaging material usage by more than 184,000 tons.

In the fiscal year 2023, Cainiao was able to recycle 23.82 million cartons through its Cainiao Post stations, setting a new recycling record.

Cainiao noted that it also advocated for the use of electric vehicles for short-distance urban deliveries. As of March 31, 2023, electric vehicles for urban deliveries accounted for 33% of total vehicles used by Cainiao Express.

For last-mile logistics, the logistics company is promoting the implementation of autonomous logistics robots — Xiaomanlv, which has since completed delivery for more than 29 million orders as of March 31, 2023, marking a new record for autonomous last-mile delivery in China.

The photovoltaic capacity of Cainiao's solar-powered warehouses also expanded from 24.9 megawatts last year to 30.0 megawatts, a year-on-year increase of 20.5%.

Cainiao said by integrating the use of clean energy, it achieved a significant reduction in carbon emissions, totalling 21,003.2 tons in the 2023 fiscal year.

Apart from reducing its own carbon footprint, Cainiao also leverages its digital technologies and logistics platform to provide full-chain low-carbon logistics solutions and digital recycling capabilities to support its ecosystem partners.

In July 2022, Yili and Cainiao signed a green strategic cooperation agreement to jointly establish a green recycling chain for used packaging, which spans the entire process, including consumer engagement, goods transfer and clearance, recycling, returns, re-production, and predictive modelling.