E-Commerce and Its Environmental Impact, 2020 - Amazon, Alibaba & Zalando Making Efforts to Curb Their Impact Through Logistics Efficiencies, Electric Vehicle Deliveries, Recycled Packaging Materials

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Jan 23, 2020, 12:00 ET

DUBLIN, Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "The Environmental Impact of E-Commerce 2020" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Diversity of consideration in the environmental burden of online commerce

One study cited in the report suggests that online shopping may have a lower carbon footprint than traditional in-store shopping because of more efficient logistics. Nevertheless, the determination of the environmental impact of E-Commerce is complicated by a range of considerations, including local transportation practices, and the type of delivery vehicles used by merchants, among others.

The high return rates and short-term sales events of online retail increase environmental impact

The high return rate of fashion items, one of the leading categories of B2C E-Commerce globally, attracts the attention of those concerned about the environmental consequences of online shopping. A January 2019 survey cited in the publication reflected that over a third of online shoppers returned a purchased item in the previous three months.

The consequences to the environment of returns is that they involve double transportation and may require disposal rather than resale. Further, special sales such as Singles Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday place a burden on the environment due to the intense amount of packaging, shipping and delivery in a relatively short time, plus the disposal of serviceable items replaced with bargain-priced goods.

Online shoppers and merchants begin to show concern for the environment

While shoppers generally select the quickest delivery methods at the lowest price point, some recent studies cited in the new report indicate that when made aware of delivery options with a lower environmental burden, some shoppers would choose that method.

Likewise, leading E-Commerce merchants such as Amazon, Alibaba, and Zalando are making efforts to decrease the burden their businesses create on the environment through such things as logistics efficiencies, delivery with electric vehicles and use of recycled packaging materials.

Key Topics Covered

1. Management Summary

2. Overview & Introduction

Global: E-Commerce's Impact on the Environment Overview, January 2020
Global: Retail E-Commerce Sales, in USD trillion and in Share of Total Retail Sales, in %, 2017-2023f
Global: Share of Consumers Receiving Deliveries Once a Week or More From Grocery Retailers, in % of Consumers, by France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, the USA, 2018 & 2021f
Global: Parcel Volumes, in billions, 2014-2018 & 2025f
Global: Top 5 Countries Purchased From in the Latest Cross-Border Online Purchase, in % of Cross-Border Online Shoppers, 2017 & 2018
Global: Breakdown of Time Needed for Cross-Border Delivery, in % of Cross-Border Online Shoppers, October 2018
USA: Goods Flown by Amazon Air, in thousand tons, July 2018, December 2018 & July 2019
Global: Share of Cross-Border E-Commerce B2C Shipments Transported by Air, in %, 2019
Global: Share of CO2 Emissions From Freight Operations in Commercial Aviation, in %, 2018
Global: Carbon Footprint of Shoppers, by In-Store Only, In-Store & Online & Fast-Shipping, Online Only, Online-Only & Fast-Shipping in kg CO2e, June 2019

3. Product Returns and the Effect on the Environment

Global: Share of Online Shoppers Who Returned an Item in the Three Months Prior to the Study, in %, January 2019
USA: Volume of Packages Returned to Online Shops, in Millions per Day, January 2019, December 2019 & January, 2nd 2020f
North America: Share of Returns, by Traditional Retail and E-Commerce, in % of Sales, December 2018
Germany: Share of E-Commerce Returns, by Ordered Articles and Delivered Parcels, in %, 2018
Germany: Share of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Caused by E-Commerce Returns in Country's Total Greenhouse Gas Emissions, in %, 2018
UK: Share of Online Shoppers Ordering Articles They Are Willing to Return, by Total Surveyed and 25-34 Year-Olds, in %, April 2019
Global: Breakdown of Reasons for Returning an Item, in % Surveyed Online Shoppers, January 2019
Europe: Share of Returns of E-Commerce Articles, by Category, in % of Returned Articles, March 2019
Europe: Share of E-Commerce Returned Articles Eligible for Repeated Sale as an A-Article, in %, March 2019
Germany: Share of E-Commerce Returned Articles that Were Disposed of, in %, December 2018
Europe: Share of E-Commerce Merchants For Whom Measures to Avoid Returns Have Special Priority, in %, March 2019
UK: Share of Online Shoppers Concerned About Environmental Impact of Over-Ordering and Returning Goods, and Who Reduced the Amount Ordered or Returned, in %, April 2019
Global: Share of Returns, by Iceland, India, Hungary, Latvia, Mexico, Norway, Russia, Thailand, Vietnam and Global Average, in % of Cross-Border Online Shoppers, October 2018

4. Special Sales and Their Environmental Impact

USA: Retail E-Commerce Sales on Black Friday, in USD billion and in Year-on-Year Change, in %, 2017-2019e
Global: Gross Merchandise Sales During Amazon Prime Day, in USD billion, 2015-2019e
China: Number of Parcels Delivered as a Result of Singles Day, in millions, 2017-2019e
China: Volume of Packaging from Deliveries During Singles Day, in million tons, 2018 & 2025f
UK: Share of Consumers Who Consider or Try to Reduce the Environmental Impact of Black Friday and Cyber Monday Purchases, in % of Respondents, November 2019
UK: Share of Consumers Whose Black Friday and Cyber Monday Purchase Will Be Planned or Impulse-Driven, in % of Respondents, November 2019
UK: Share of Consumers Using Their Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2018 Purchased Item, in % of Respondents, November 2019

5. Delivery and Online Shoppers' Attitudes Towards Environmentally-Friendly Options

Europe: Share of Consumers Who Are Willing to Pay For Same-Day Delivery, in %, and For Next-Day Delivery, in %, by France, Germany, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, the UK, September 2018
Global: Breakdown of Actions Taken to Qualify for Free Shipping, in % Surveyed Online Shoppers, January 2019
Global: Breakdown of Reasons for Reducing Delivery Speed, in % Surveyed Online Shoppers, January 2019
UK: Share of Online Shoppers More Likely to Opt for Alternatives to Home Delivery If Informed of the Respective Emissions for Each Delivery Option, in %, March 2019
UK: Share of Online Shoppers Who Used Click-and-Collect in the Last 3 Months, and in the Last 6 Months, in %, March 2019
Mexico: Share of Online Shoppers Opting for Longer Delivery Times to Save Trees, in % of Respondents, April 2019
North America: Share of Online Shoppers Who Care a Great Deal about the Environmental Impact of Their Deliveries, in %, and Who are Conscious of The Issue, in %, July 2018
North America: Share of Online Shoppers Who Believe a Consolidated Delivery Service Option Has a Positive Environmental Impact, in %, and Who Are Willing to Opt for Such a Service, in %, July 2018
UK: Share of Online Shoppers Who Admit That Home Delivery Option Is a Default Habit, in %, March 2019
UK: Attitudes Towards Environmental Impact of Online Delivery, in % Online Shoppers, and in % of 18-24 Year-Old Online Shoppers, March 2019
United States: Share of Etsy's Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Shipping in the Company's Total Emissions, in %, February 2019
Global: Breakdown of Attitudes Towards Carbon-Neutral Delivery, in % of Cross-Border Online Shoppers, October 2018

6. Packaging and Consumers' Approach to Sustainable Options

Global: Share of Empty Space in E-Commerce Parcel, in % of Volume, December 2019
China: Share of Cardboard Boxes Used in Express Delivery Packaging That Were Reused, in %, September 2019
Global: Consumers' Attitudes Towards Packaging, in %, April 2019
Europe: Share of Consumers Who Buy Items With Less Packaging, by France, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, the UK, and European Average, in %, September 2018
Europe: Share of Consumers Who Look For Products With Environmentally Friendly Packaging, by Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Poland, and European Average, in %, September 2018
Global: Share of Consumers Who Are Willing to Pay a Premium for Sustainable Packaging When Buying Food Items, by China, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Switzerland, the UK, the USA, and European Average, in %, September 2018
Germany: Share of Online Shoppers Opting for Shipping in Reusable Packaging, in % of memo AG Online Shoppers, July 2019
Global: Breakdown of Attitudes Towards Sustainable Packaging, in % of Cross-Border Online Shoppers, October 2018

7. Sustainable Payments

Global: Payment and Sustainability - Players Overview, January 2020

8. Sustainable Travel

Global: Online Booking Sites Offering a Sustainable or Eco-Friendly Filter Option Seen as an Incentive to Travel More Sustainably, in % of Adult Respondents, March 2019
Global: Attitudes Towards Sustainable Travel, in % of Adult Respondents, February-March 2019

9. Players and Companies Offering Solutions to Make E-Commerce Greener

Global: E-Commerce and Sustainability - Players and Current Developments, January 2020
Global: Examples of Companies with Sustainable Solutions for E-Commerce, including Reverse Logistics, December 2019
Global: Examples of Companies with Sustainable Solutions for E-Commerce, incl. Delivery and Packaging, December 2019

Companies Mentioned

Alibaba Group Holding
Amazon.com Inc.
American Express Co.
ASOS PLC
Cainiao Network Technology Co. Ltd.
Deutsche Post DHL Group
Doconomy
Etsy Inc.
Flipkart Online Services Pvt. Ltd.
JD.com Inc.
Mastercard Inc.
Memo AG
Optoro Inc.
SIBS LLC
Target
Visa Inc.
Zalando SE

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