Shopping online or in-store? Guide to more eco-responsible purchases

CONSUMPTION - Online shopping is becoming easier, as the choice increases and delivery times decrease. And for everyday products like toothpaste, pads, or dishwashing liquid, an increasing proportion of purchases are made online rather than in stores.

In the United States, the proportion of these “consumer goods”, products that are bought frequently and at relatively low prices, purchased online is expected to drop from 1.5% in 2017 to 8% in 2025. In the United Kingdom -the United Kingdom, where the practice is already better established, it is expected that the proportion will drop from 7.5% to 12%.
However, the way you choose to make these small purchases could have a significant impact on your carbon footprint.

What is the best way to minimize its impact?

According to new research, the answer lies somewhere between e-commerce and the good old store visit. The study, carried out in the United Kingdom and published Wednesday 26 February in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, examined the carbon footprint for three methods of shopping: purchases made in person in stores, purchases made online from a traditional retailer delivered to their homes and purchases made from exclusively online stores such as Amazon, which deliver the goods from warehouses. Most studies agree that buying exclusively from online merchants is the choice that causes the most carbon emissions.

PIKE VIA GETTY IMAGES

Most studies agree that buying from exclusively online merchants is the choice that causes the most carbon emissions.

Researchers took into account several factors, from the weight of various personal and household hygiene items to the amount of energy used by shops and warehouses. They conclude that the “brick and click” option - buying online from a traditional retailer who will deliver the goods to you from a store - is the most likely to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions ( GES) if you usually use the car to shop.
"In countries where cars are widely used for shopping, such as the United States or the United Kingdom, the brick and click method is often a greener choice," said one of the study's authors. , Sadegh Shahmohammadi, from the Department of Environmental Sciences at Nijmegen University in the Netherlands.

The fact that your purchases are delivered by a truck that will also deliver the purchases of other people causes less mileage than if each customer had made the round trip to the store, explains Mr. Shahmohammadi.

In the United States, 95% of trips to stores are by car. In China or the Netherlands, where the majority of these journeys are made on foot or by bicycle, the use of the brick and click method does not reduce GHG emissions. It could even cause more emissions than a personal visit to a store.

Most studies agree that buying from exclusively online merchants is the choice that causes the most carbon emissions. Especially if you opt for overnight delivery.

We must not forget the failed delivery attempts, which means that the same product can lead to several journeys for the truck. & nbsp;

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We must not forget the failed delivery attempts, which means that the same product can lead to multiple journeys for the truck.

As more and more of us turn to these companies for the assurance of receiving our goods quickly, retailers prioritize speed rather than determining the most efficient route to deliver numerous orders. The trucks then end up making more round trips to the warehouse.

And the fact that more people buy fewer products per order means not only more mileage but also more packaging.

"The number of products purchased has a significant impact on carbon footprints," says Shahmohammadi. “The more products you buy at once, the less you will get for each product.”

We must not forget the failed delivery attempts, which means that the same product can lead to multiple journeys for the truck.

Like the British study, a recent analysis by Michel Jaller, who studies sustainable modes of transportation at the University of California, demonstrates that the most significant environmental impact of online commerce occurs when products make their last bit of way, between the store or warehouse and your home.

L’étude de M. Jaller (partagée avec le HuffPost avant sa publication) confirme que la majorité des émissions des commerces exclusivement en ligne proviennent de ces ultimes petits kilomètres. Pour les commerces traditionnels, les variables les plus importantes sont la consommation énergétique des magasins et le moyen de transport choisi par les clients.

By focusing on these final kilometers, which they call the “last mile”, the authors of the British study determined that the emissions associated with the brick and click model are 50% lower than when going to the store. by car. And they are at least five times less important than for purchase from an e-commerce company!

The quantity & oacute; that you buy, the distance you travel, and the mode of transportation you use affect the impact of your shopping. & nbsp;

TOM WERNER VIA GETTY IMAGES

The quantity you buy, the distance you travel, and the mode of transport you use influence the impact of your shopping.

It should be noted, however, that neither of the two studies has studied the impact of the production of goods, or how households use or dispose of them. For example, the return rate is much higher for clothes purchased online than in stores, which can increase the carbon footprint.

The power of the consumer

The quantity you buy, the distance you travel, and the mode of transport you use influence the impact of your shopping.

If you physically go to the store, whether by car or public transit, consider including your purchases on your regular trips - by stopping at the store on the way home from work, for example - to avoid going back and forth to the store.

For those who shop online, the two researchers recommend slowing down and combining purchases. The more you choose overnight delivery, the greater your carbon footprint will likely be. Better to go ahead and allow more products to be delivered at the same time.

Retailers can also encourage these greener options by putting more emphasis on the possibility of forgoing fast delivery, allowing them to combine their purchases and putting in place mechanisms to avoid missed delivery attempts.

Little by little, some companies are starting to do so. But it is not always easy to navigate for the consumer.

Amazon, the world's largest e-commerce company, says it tries to combine products in as few packages as possible, depending on availability and the desired delivery date. However, customers cannot always indicate that this is the option they want to favor. They must then consciously opt for a later delivery date, hoping that this will give the company more time to acquire and consolidate their runs. If you are an Amazon Prime member, you can also choose to receive all of your purchases on the same day each week.

It can be difficult to determine whether your purchase will come from a store or warehouse since websites generally do not specify it. In order to meet the growing demand for fast online shopping BD, physical retailers like Walmart are increasing the capacity of their warehouses. This means that your brick-and-click purchase could be more distant than the local store.

Researchers agree that companies could make a big difference by focusing on the “last mile”.

In addition to making deliveries more efficient by conscientiously planning their routes and consolidating purchases in fewer shipments, retailers can dramatically reduce their GHG emissions by using less fuel-efficient vehicles. In the UK, for example, replacing delivery vans with cargo bikes could reduce the carbon footprint associated with the last mile by 42% and the total footprint of a purchase by 26%.