Does anyone visit the mall anymore? With the surge of Amazon and virtually every major retailor online, consumers don’t have (or want) to, step outside to purchase items. With the swipe of your finger, everything from groceries to diapers can be delivered to your doorstep within 24 hours. This virtue certainly has a vice – a very detrimental one at that.
Amazon:
Next or same day delivery produce more emissions and packaging waste than other online orders, and the biggest culprit of faster delivery is Amazon Prime. Amazon has more than 100 million paying subscribers in the US, which is the equivalent of 31 per cent of the total population in America. Almost half of these Amazon Prime subscribers buy something online at least once a week.
Even if a truck is not completely full, they will transport a single item based on the consumer’s demands for same or one-day delivery. If it’s a package that delivers out within a five-day period, there is greater likelihood that the truck will be full and therefore not run too many emissions on multiple trips. But most Canadians prefer quick delivery options. According to a 2018 UPS survey on online shopping, 63 per cent of people said that they expect orders that are placed by noon to qualify for same-day delivery.
Pollution and Carbon Footprints:
In the US, around 165 billion packages are shipped each year, which is the equivalent to about one billion trees. The average online delivery is dropped 17 times on route to a customer. Since online shopping is heavily dependent upon customer experience and delivery, retailers over-package items which is highly wasteful.
There is also the problem of plastics. We may be banning straws and charging for plastic bags, but we’re facilitating a whole other problem. Meal delivery kits may be the biggest contributor to plastic waste, as they typically come in polystyrene containers and ice packs to keep the food fresh. Most of these items are not recyclable.
How You Can Lower Your Online Footprint:
If you are shopping for something that isn’t urgent, you should opt for longer shipping time. Also, if you’re in the neighbourhood of a grocery store or shopping centre, go inside. It’s not to forfeit online shopping, but it’s okay to step outside, after all we were doing it for centuries.
