Alibaba starts tracking deliveries of donations

Updated: 2016-08-04 07:48

By Meng Jing and Ouyang Shijia(China Daily USA)

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Alibaba Group's logistics arm recently set up China's first online charitable logistics system with the goal of making donations easier and more transparent for generous donors.

Cainiao, also known as Zhejiang Cainiao Supply Chain Management Co, launched the "one-click charity" project. It will provide door-to-door pickup services and full tracking online for donations - via its app called Cainiao Guoguo - by teaming up with One Foundation and Deppon Logistics Co Ltd.

Donors can track the whole shipment process of their gifts of clothes, books and toys to nonprofit organizations. In the future, Cainiao will make it possible for users to track their donated parcels to the point when the beneficiary receives the packages.

Cainiao started a trial operation of the special mailing service for public charities in May this year. By filling the nonprofit organization recipients' address and telephone number on the app, users can wait for the courier to pick up donations at home.

Alibaba starts tracking deliveries of donations

The company also eliminated some charges. A donation shipment weighing less than one kilogram will not be charged.

"After a period of operation, we found that the key for people engaging in public charity lies in the transparency of the donation process," said Li Jianghua, general manager of Cainiao Guoguo.

"They care more about where the donations go rather than the free shipment."

Each year about 26 million tons of used clothes are thrown away, with a recycling rate of less than 1 percent, according to the statistics from China Association of Circular Economy.

Those who want to do a good deed often have no idea about who to donate to or how to donate. They worry that the donations could disappear during shipment.

Wang Wenbin, chief technology officer of Cainiao, said the key value of their tracking system lies in its rebuilding of the public's confidence in charity organizations, via cooperation with professional public welfare organizations and logistics companies.

The company's main partner, Deppon Logistics, will set up a channel for donation deliveries. Once collected, the donations will be sent to charity organizations. Then those organizations will sort, clean and disinfect donated clothes and decide where to send the items.

Those organizations include One Foundation, a nongovernmental charity fund established by Chinese movie star Jet Li.

In the future, One Foundation and other charity groups will jointly establish a "one-click charity" alliance.

"Our goal is to use the joint forces to encourage everyone to participate in charities." Said Li Jin, secretary-general of One Foundation.

Contact the writers at mengjing@chinadaily.com.cn and ouyangshijia@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 08/04/2016 page14)

 

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