Snapdeal Goes Ecofriendly; Announces Green Initiatives

Snapdeal is working ardently to redefine itself. After going through a makeover last week, the Delhi-based ecommerce marketplace has now announced its plans to utilise solar energy in a big way as an integral part of its daily operations.

The initiative will kick off at Snapdeal warehouses operated by Vulcan Express. According to a company statement, the testing phase is complete at the centres in Gurugram and Hyderabad. The full scale rollout will follow soon.

Hardeep Singh, CEO Vulcan Express said, “Energy conservation for us is not only cost savings, but also our commitment to reduce our carbon footprint in various small and big ways. We have strategic relationships with lead vendors in this area and have worked out joint initiatives & innovations. In addition to use of solar power at our centres, we also encourage conservation by optimally planning our delivery routes to reduce fuel wastage.”

As a result of this initiative the centres are expected produce nearly 1 MW at peak through solar panels and generate 1.5 Mn units per year. This will lead to a significant reduction in the power consumption of these centres.

This move is also followed by installation of auto controllers for lighting systems, extensive use of skylights at larger centres, LED lighting, roof insulation, and HVLS Fans, etc.

Snapdeal currently has 69 fulfilment centres spread across 25 cities in India. The company recently opened 6 mega logistics hubs in Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Lucknow, and Kolkata in the runup to the festive season.

After reporting a loss of about $200 Mn (INR 1,328 Cr) on revenue of $140 Mn (INR 938 Cr) in FY 14-15, Snapdeal got off to a bad start in 2016. But it has been looking to establish a positive brand identity. Snapdeal launched its new brand identity “Unbox Zindagi” earlier this week along with a new logo. It has reportedly invested about $30 Mn (INR 200 Cr) for the brand overhaul.