Environment

4  Major Environmental Impacts of E-Commerce Deliveries

There’s no doubt that the use of online shopping has increased in recent years, in fact,  44% of consumers in North America and the UK plan to increase their online purchases to every two weeks. This can be attributed to the convenience of e-commerce, especially with the advancements of home delivery standards.

However, this convenience does not come without a cost. E-commerce deliveries have huge negative implications for environmental health. By 2030, it is predicted that total emissions caused by parcel and freight shipping worldwide  will generate 25 million metric tons of CO2. 

Read on to learn how e-commerce deliveries affect our environment.

  1. Pollution from Packaging Production

It takes an immense amount of time and material to produce packaging for delivery items. It requires a significant amount of water, energy, and contributes to deforestation. The forest conservation group Canopy found that 3 billion trees are pulped yearly to produce 241 million tons of shipping cartons.

 This worsens climate change as it damages natural habitats, causing less CO2 to be absorbed. Moreover, shipping cartons that are wasted and put in landfills produce a lot of methane, polluting our atmosphere.

While cardboard is one of the most highly recyclable materials, of the 86 million tons of plastic packaging manufactured globally each year, less than 14% is recycled.

  1. Transportation Emissions

With the prevalence of online shopping, consumers have higher expectations that businesses are continuously trying to fulfil. For example, as more customers now expect a one to two-day shipping window, businesses try to fulfil that by sending out deliveries more frequently, rather than waiting to accumulate different deliveries.

A study done using multiple urban cities around the world showed that the number of delivery vehicles is predicted to increase to 36% between 2019 and 2030, which will emit an additional 6 million tonnes of CO2. Not only does this have implications for our environment, but it is also harmful to breathe in, as it affects the heart and brain. 

Better route planning can help to reduce the impact, and should be looked at for any business when it comes to their delivery focus. 

  1. Product Returns: The Cost

A part of improving delivery standards is the ease with which you can return items. Fast fashion in particular has a high return rate, with emissions from return vehicles in the US equivalent to  3 million cars

Returning items means more emissions from transportation, pollution from packaging produced to re-sell, or in many cases, these packages are thrown in landfills, releasing harmful greenhouse gases as they decompose.

  1. Web hosting and servers

While this aspect of e-commerce may be overlooked, it’s one of the biggest factors that skyrocket greenhouse gas emissions.

The popularity of online shopping means businesses all over the world are running online websites, and with countless customers going in and out of them, this consumes a huge amount of energy from servers. The continuous running of websites causes emission of harmful greenhouse gases.

While the advancements in shipping and logistics mark a great improvement in the home delivery experience, it should not be at the expense of the environment.

Both consumers and businesses have to review how they approach online deliveries; consumers should opt for environmentally friendly delivery options, and businesses should evaluate their packaging production and transportation methods.

To learn more about the effects of e-commerce delivery and how you can minimise its impacts, read these articles:

Is Cardboard Bad for the Environment? Stats, Facts and Trends

The New Plastics Economy: Catalysing action

 The Environmental Impact of Delivery Services – Onelivery Blog.

Report fears e-commerce returns are driving up waste, emissions and costs.

The Environmental Impact of Online Shopping | Earth.Org

Focus on the environmental impact of e-commerce | TextMaster

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