I was going to write a quickie post about how to practice greener shipping principles, but it led me down a rabbit hole of sustainable shipping worldwide with the big global companies and well, here we are…

Unfortunately for the planet, consumption is at its peak. Shopping malls may have become a relic of the past, but E-commerce has become a multibillion-dollar sector in the previous decade due to an extraordinary increase of people buying online. Since the COVID-19 epidemic, the internet marketplace, which was already increasing, has become the most popular purchasing option for customers worldwide, resulting in a huge increase in online transactions. Global retail e-commerce traffic reached 2.64 billion  online buyers and around US$5.8 trillion in sales in 2023. I found varying numbers so these may not be completely accurate – but my point still stands, a lot of people are shopping online these days.

Asia is expected to account for 50% of global online retail sales by the end of the year, with China leading the way. Singles’ Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday encourage customers to buy more, with Amazon, Walmart, and Alibaba, as well as smaller companies, deliberately orchestrating purchases by pressuring people to buy products under the guise of discounts and limited-time-only sales. Hey, I can’t throw any stones, it’s really hard to pass up a good deal, even if you don’t actually need it.

Most online shoppers prioritize price, speed, and convenience. Amazon, the world’s most-visited online marketplace, has found the perfect formula to satisfy all three by training its customers to believe they should have free and fast shipping, forcing smaller retailers to follow suit to compete. Online shopping was once a tool to get the greatest discounts, but innovation and technology have made it a quick machine that meets more consumers’ needs.

Another environmental impact of online buying is shipping emissions. Global shipping accounts for a large amount of e-commerce’s CO2 emissions. Shipping and returning merchandise accounted for 37% of 2020 GHG emissions. Consumers’ need for convenience is again the main issue. Delivery vehicles are expected to rise 36% to 7.2 million by 2030. Higher traffic congestion will delay vehicle travel by 21% and raise CO2 emissions by 6 million tonnes.

But the real issue is expedited shipping. As new technologies make shipping faster, more consumers want same-day and immediate deliveries. According to INVESP in 2021 (a consulting company that specializes in conversion rate optimization in North America), 56% of shoppers aged 18-34 expect same-day delivery. 61% of all respondents are willing to pay extra for same-day delivery. With that said, interestingly, MIT found that traditional buying emits twice as much carbon as online purchasing – as long as you’re not choosing expedited shipping. When consumers choose the quickest delivery, emissions far exceed in-person buying. Due to cost, delivery providers cannot wait for all products to arrive before sending, so sometimes they have to send out multiple packages to fulfill one multi-item order. And, due to a one- or two-day shipping window, they sometimes send out half-full trucks, increasing traffic and emissions which is, well, not great.

Expedited shipping is probably the bigger problem, but it isn’t the only issue. As more online shops, big and small, provide easy and free returns, fashion returns have risen to over 30% of all purchases. A customer behavior survey found that 79% demand free return shipping and 92% will buy again if things are easy to return. Statistics like this encourage corporations to give such options since they will be profitable. Consumers take advantage of it because it makes life easy and usually, the lighting in department store dressing rooms sucks – so why not buy two sizes, try them on in the comfort of your own home, see which fits, and send the other back. For most people, convenience will always win over consequences.

So, what’s the takeaway here? It’s definitely better for sustainability to opt for the slower shipping. Also, at least as far as clothing or shoes are concerned, it may be better to physically go to an actual brick-and-mortar store to try things on – no matter how crap the lighting is, so there are fewer shipped returns. While companies that sell online aiming to become more sustainable is a wonderful start, it won’t fix the problem alone. Consumer behavior and decisions define this industry’s impact. Thus, both producers and consumers must change their habits and forego certain conveniences to stop e-commerce’s harmful tendency.

If you want to read about the big shipping corporations and their efforts to go green – I suggest this New York Times article for a deeper dive –

Shipping Contributes Heavily to Climate Change. Are Green Ships the Solution? - the comment section is quite good too.