Bambino Mio makes sustainable logistics child's play

Bambino Mio, a renowned brand in the reusable nappy industry, has built its reputation on sustainability and quality. From mothers to Mother Earth, they’re hitting all the right notes. As a certified B Corporation, they’re committed to maintaining high social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency standards - exactly what we like to see in 2024. Bambino Mio’s mission is to ensure that reusable nappies are available to all and contribute positively to the planet. They cater to both direct-to-consumer (DTC) and business-to-business (B2B) markets across the UK and EU, including major platforms like Amazon Vendor and a Shopify-based DTC solution, as well as national stockists, such as retail giants, John Lewis.

So what exactly were their challenges?

Bambino Mio faced significant challenges in managing the cost and efficiency of servicing their EU customer base from their UK-based warehouse. These challenges were compounded by the need for compliance with cross-border regulations, which are required for over-labeling products for markets like Germany and France. Second to this, the company required a reliable platform solution for their Amazon Vendor operations and sought added-value services, such as kit building and bundling. We wanted to make sure they could solve these challenges, without ending up throwing their toys out the proverbial pram.

And how did fulfilmentcrowd address these?

Our partnership with Bambino Mio began with the launch of our operations in our Born warehouse in the Netherlands in February 2023, aimed at efficiently servicing their EU customers. We provided:

Cross-border compliance:

• Over-labeling to meet specific requirements for Germany and France
• Ensuring all shipments comply with local regulations, reducing potential delays and additional costs.

Kit building and bundling:

• Custom solutions for bundling products, which helped streamline the packaging process and enhance customer satisfaction.

Strategic warehouse locations:

• Transitioning from their owned warehouse in Brixworth to fulfilmentcrowd’s Magna Park site in the UK in September 2023. This move centralized their UK fulfillment operations and improved efficiency.
• The Born warehouse in the Netherlands continues to serve the EU market effectively, having shipped to a wide array of countries including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, and many more.
• It also aids their sustainability efforts (which we talk more about below) due to our hybrid business model. We’re sustainable by design, reducing the transit to the customer. Not only does this drastically reduce CO2 emissions, it’s also helped Bambino Mio become BCorp certified.

B2B fulfilment support:

• Facilitated Bambino Mio’s expansion into major UK retailers such as John Lewis, Sainsbury’s, Coop, and various independent stores
• Supported EU B2B orders to significant stockists like DM Drogerie Markt GmbH and Kaufland
• Bambino can now actively scale their brand across the world friction-free and we’ve enabled growth opportunities for them that will directly result in increased sales. Ka-ching!

Sustainability initiatives

fulfilmentcrowd aligns with Bambino Mio’s commitment to sustainability through several initiatives:

• Sustainable packaging: Utilisation of eco-friendly packaging materials to reduce environmental impact
• Packaging reduction: Optimisation of packaging processes to minimize waste, particularly for B2B orders
• Charitable contributions: Donation of end-of-line products to charities, including women's refuges, reinforcing Bambino Mio’s commitment to social responsibility.

The results are in…

Our collaboration with Bambino Mio has resulted in:

• Enhanced efficiency: Streamlined operations and reduced fulfillment costs, particularly for EU customers
• Scalability: Ability to handle increased B2B and DTC orders seamlessly, supporting significant retail partnerships and expansion
• Sustainability: Continued commitment to eco-friendly practices, bolstered by fulfilmentcrowd’s support.
• BCorp certification: Although we can’t take full responsibility for Bambino Mio’s Bcorp certification, our sustainable business model has contributed significantly to this status, helping them reduce carbon emissions, and become sustainable by design (just like us!).

Sean McKinney, Fulfilment Manager at Bambino Mio, had this to say about the partnership: “Partnering with fulfilmentcrowd has been transformative for Bambino Mio. For over 25 years, our mission has been to create sustainable nappies that are better for babies, parents, and our planet. fulfilmentcrowd has seamlessly integrated with our vision, supporting our Reusable Revolution to eliminate single-use nappies. Their efficient fulfillment solutions have enabled us to meet increasing demand while maintaining our commitment to sustainability.

“fulfilmentcrowd's expertise in managing our supply chain has been crucial, especially as we aim to achieve carbon neutrality and meticulously track our carbon footprint at every stage. Their proactive and responsive team ensures that our products reach customers promptly and in perfect condition, which has significantly boosted our customer satisfaction.

“As we expand into larger retailers like Walmart, DM, Sainsbury's, Tesco, and Asda, fulfilmentcrowd's support is invaluable in enhancing our visibility and presence in stores. Our partnership with fulfilmentcrowd not only aligns with our sustainability goals, but also empowers us to continue growing and making a positive impact on the planet. We’re excited about our future together and highly recommend fulfilmentcrowd for their exceptional service and shared commitment to doing the right thing - even when no one is looking.”

Rockabye baby: The overview

Bambino Mio’s strategic partnership with fulfilmentcrowd has been instrumental in overcoming logistical challenges and supporting the company’s growth across the UK and EU markets. They now have a solid foundation across these locations that will futureproof the business, as they continue on their growth journey. This hasn’t just proven successful to date, it will continue to contribute to commercial success as demand grows. With the infrastructure in place, Bambino Mio can focus on their plans to expand into larger retailers. By taking advantage of our innovative solutions, Bambino Mio has not only enhanced operational efficiency, but also reinforced their commitment to sustainability, aligning perfectly with their mission to make reusable nappies accessible and beneficial for all. It’s the perfect lullaby ending we all hoped for.