Decarbonize online delivery
E-commerce and brick-and-mortar retailers share the commitment to eco-friendly sourcing of raw materials. In the online retail arena, only a small portion of emissions is due to the delivery of online orders. Meanwhile, most of the retailers' carbon footprint comes from the production, supply, and distribution of products that precedes the sale and delivery to consumers. Nevertheless, both online retailers and shipping companies are making tangible efforts to decarbonize the online order fulfillment process by intervening in what pollutes the most: last-mile delivery.On the one hand, UK retailers are phasing out petrol and diesel vehicles, replacing them with electric ones. Grocery retailer Tesco plans its van fleet to be fully electric by 2030, while the online supermarket Ocado will complete the net-zero emissions transition by 2035. On the other hand, courier companies have invested in making the last-mile delivery less harmful to the environment. Door-to-door deliveries produce traffic congestion and carbon emissions, not to mention the case of failed deliveries needing to be rescheduled. To avoid such issues, couriers have installed pick-up and drop-off locations and automatic parcel machines across the country.
Off the radar
Internet carbon emissions are often overlooked in studies analyzing the environmental footprint of e-commerce. However, online browsing of e-commerce sites produces carbon dioxide emissions, too. Running data centers and servers, as well as user traffic to online platforms from millions of devices leads to significant electricity consumption. In 2021, every visit to Boohoo websites produced emissions of over seven grams of carbon dioxide equivalent.Beyond greenwashing
Environmental sustainability is often used as leverage by marketers, rather than viewed as a priority for retail supply experts. Either way, UK online shoppers are aware of their choices’ impact on the climate. Two criteria appeared to be relevant — product packaging and delivery conditions. Over one-third of UK shoppers mentioned eco-friendly packaging as an important shopping driver, expecting products to be shipped in less and recycled packaging material. In addition, one in four online shoppers would pay three euros more for sustainable shipping, a greater concern among young consumers.Mainly pushed by convenience, the use of resale e-commerce sites is also due to a more widespread environmental consciousness. In 2021, over one-third of UK online buyers preferred to buy second-hand items to reduce waste while having a wide product assortment to shop from. Still, online resale platforms remain more popular among Gen Z consumers, compared to the rest of the population.
