Between 2020 and 2021, the amount of returned merchandise ending up in landfills almost doubled in the United States. This figure hit 4.34 million tons, up from the previous year when some 2.61 million tons were thrown away. Similarly, greenhouse gas emissions also increased from transporting returns, reaching 27 million metric tons of CO2 in 2021. As of 2022, both figures slightly declined, with carbon emissions not going over 24 million metric tons CO2.
Key figures on the impact of retail returns in the United States from 2019 to 2022
Indicator
Volume of emissions from the transport of returns (in million CO2 metric tons)
Volume of returns ending up in landfills (in billion tons)
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Optoro. (January 27, 2023). Key figures on the impact of retail returns in the United States from 2019 to 2022 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved October 31, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1262194/key-figures-impact-retail-returns-united-states/
Optoro. "Key figures on the impact of retail returns in the United States from 2019 to 2022." Chart. January 27, 2023. Statista. Accessed October 31, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1262194/key-figures-impact-retail-returns-united-states/
Optoro. (2023). Key figures on the impact of retail returns in the United States from 2019 to 2022. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: October 31, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1262194/key-figures-impact-retail-returns-united-states/
Optoro. "Key Figures on The Impact of Retail Returns in The United States from 2019 to 2022." Statista, Statista Inc., 27 Jan 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1262194/key-figures-impact-retail-returns-united-states/
Optoro, Key figures on the impact of retail returns in the United States from 2019 to 2022 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1262194/key-figures-impact-retail-returns-united-states/ (last visited October 31, 2024)
Key figures on the impact of retail returns in the United States from 2019 to 2022 [Graph], Optoro, January 27, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1262194/key-figures-impact-retail-returns-united-states/