Online Shopping Is Greener Than Travelling To The Shops

Several internet retailers have recently stated that it is significantly better for the environment for consumers to shop online and have their goods delivered to their house than to journey to the shops, but what research is there to uphold this claim that online shopping is greener?

Based on a recent article from the Logistics Research Centre at Heriot-Watt University, on average, having goods delivered to your home residence by parcel carrier on average produces considerably less co2 than making a special trip to the shops to buy the products in person.

The analysis compared online and normal shopping carbon footprints for goods such as publications, Videos and cameras as well as other small to medium sized household items. The work centered on the last mile of shipping and delivery, the end step within the delivery process, when products are finally transported to the home and compared the results to customers visiting the retail stores to collect the items face-to-face.

A number of last mile scenarios were put together on the basis of official government data, talks with business professionals and realistic assumptions based on the information. The analysis employed representative data on home deliveries (based on drop density, mileage travelled, vehicle category and fuel efficiency) and on consumer travel behaviour (related excursion type, selection of transport method, fuel consumption and the quantity of goods purchased). No consideration was given to differences in CO2 emissions within the upstream distribution channels because they do not differ between conventional and online channels.

Overall the research advised that, while neither home delivery nor traditional shopping has an absolute Carbon dioxide advantage, but on average the home delivery procedure is likely to generate a lesser amount of CO2 when compared to a typical shopping trip. A typical van-based drop produced 181g CO2 per item, ın comparison with 4,274g CO2 for an average journey to the shops by car and 1,265g CO2 for an average bus traveler. This finding demands several qualifications, however, as it presumes that:

• The traditional shopping journey is a single purpose journey (i.e. there is no trip chaining)
• The online purchase is delivered with success first-time and is not eventually returned
• The shopping trips and home deliveries are exposed to very similar traffic conditions.

It was concluded that an average trip to the shops by car produced greater than 24 times the amount of CO2 when compared with an individual item utilizing a van-based home delivery. In comparison with the CO2 levels created per individual in an average bus trip by a consumer they found it to be 7 times greater. Put simply, when a customer drives to the shops and buys less than 24 items per journey or travels by bus and buys less than 7 items, home delivery is more environmentally friendly.

An additional important finding was that CO2 emissions per item for intensive or infrequent shopping trips by bus may match internet shopping and home delivery. On the basis of this research, the number of items purchased per shopping trip and the selection of travel mode are shown to be critical factors. The readiness to combine shopping with other activities and to group purchases into as few shopping excursions or online transactions as possible is clearly important to minimise the environmental impact of both traditional (specifically car-based) shopping trips and home delivery.

In conclusion, online retailers and home delivery companies could apply several steps to enhance the CO2-efficiency of their logistical operations and obtain a clearer environmental advantage, but fundamentally both consumers and suppliers need to be much better informed about the environmental implications of their respective purchasing behaviour and distribution methods in order to minimise the carbon footprint of their operations and make a greener shopping experience for all.

Carbon auditing the ‘last mile’
© J.B.Edwards, A.C.McKinnon and S.L.Cullinane, Heriot-Watt University 3

Tags: environment delivery, environmentally friendly home delivery, green delivery, greener shopping, online shopping green