Online shopping has seen an undeniable surge in the past decade.

Despite its incredible advantages, the planet faces high environmental costs because of online shopping.

Online Shopping

In June 2020, retail e-commerce traffic on a global scale was able to see up to $26.7 trillion worth of sales and 22 billion monthly visits.

Some of the key differentiators that consumers look for when they purchase online are convenience, speed, and price. Amazon, which is the global online marketplace leader, has come up with a way to meet all three demands.

In light of this growing trend, in the last few years, major shipping firms have struggled to cater to the growing demand and deliver packages across the globe.

In fact, several industry groups wrote an open letter in September 2021 directed to the head of state of the United Nations General Assembly, saying that if the trend continues, transport systems across the world could end up collapsing.

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Environmental Toll of Online Shopping

While the global supply chain is reaching a point of no return, this is not the only impact that has resulted from online shopping. This global e-commerce trend has also been taking an incredible environmental toll.

Shipping Emissions

One issue is with shipping, as it has made up a huge chunk of global e-commerce CO2 emissions. In fact, in 2020, the return of products and shipping made up 37% of overall greenhouse gas emissions.

However, fast shipping is actually the main issue. With transportation improving, consumers request instant and same-day deliveries even more. According to the World Economic Forum, these two options account for over 10% of all the parcels delivered every day.

Though an MIT study discovered that traditional shopping has a doubled level of carbon footprint compared to online shopping, this would only be valid if rushed shipping were not accounted for.

Fast shipping ends up producing emissions that gravely exceed those of in-person shipping. This is primarily due to the fact that delivery products won't be able to wait for the arrival of all products before their shipments.

Since they would have to release trucks that are just half full, this would end up causing more traffic and consequent emissions.

Plastic Over-Packaging

Product packaging is also a major contributor to environmental harm in online shopping. For one, these packages contribute to CO2 emissions from plastic production.

On top of this, the supply of the packaging carton itself has also led to grave environmental impacts. Each year, around 86 million tons of plastic packages are produced. However, only less than 14% are recycled.

Moreover, each year, 3 billion trees get pulped up in order to generate a supply of around 241 million tons of cartons for shipping.

Overall, while the online shopping revolution has seen incredible benefits, its environmental toll should not be taken for granted.

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