The online trade experiences a steady increase, favored by the convenience of the purchases and the variety of the offer. However, this trend brings with it a negative environmental balance, especially through high return rates and inefficient delivery processes. Although some of these problems are system -related, buyers still have the opportunity to actively influence the effects of their consumption behavior.
Online shopping has now become a matter of course that enables you to buy comfortably from home via laptop or smartphone. This form of shopping not only offers comfort, but is also a necessity for many people, especially for those who have no access to inpatient trade (for example?). Online trading has experienced strong growth in recent years: between 2014 and 2018, sales rose by 52 percent, and during Corona pandemic he increased by a further 44.3 percent compared to 2019. But behind this apparent win-win situation for buyers and sellers there are considerable environmental problems.
Returns and failed deliveries
A central problem in online trading is the high return rates: in 2018, every seventh delivery was a return. This not only leads to an increased transport expenditure, since products have to be sent back and forth, but also significantly increases the packaging consumption. Because many providers still rely on resource -intensive disposable packaging; Reusable packaging can rarely be found. This return problem is particularly evident in clothing: at least every second package in this area is sent back, which results in high CO2 emissions. In addition, part of the goods sent back land even in the trash instead of being resold. Why? With which dealer?
In addition, frequent individual orders with short delivery times put a significant impact on the environment. The “last mile” of the delivery plays a crucial role in this, since it is often associated with a high logistical effort: Around a quarter of the packages are not delivered the first time the packages are given, which requires additional ways to the post office and back to the recipient address. These inefficient processes continue to drive up the ecological footprint.
How does conscious online shopping work?
However, there are some simple methods to improve the negative environmental balance of online trading. One of the most important strategies is to reduce the number of products ordered as a whole. In addition, buyers should pay attention to only ordering goods on the Internet that are not available locally. This not only reduces dependence on online trading, but also supports local dealers.
Careful planning of online purchases can also be made, which reduces the transport effort and avoids spontaneous purchases. If orders do not hurry, unnecessarily short -term deliveries should be avoided. It is often worth checking the urgency of the purchases in advance and using standard deliveries – these are usually more environmentally friendly than express services.
Fewer returns, more packet stations
In addition to the number, content and shipping method of the ordered packages, another important aspect is to avoid returns. If you check size tables and product ratings before buying, you can prevent many bad purchases. If a return is still necessary, it is advisable to reuse the original packaging or old boxes to minimize waste.
In addition, buyers can also influence the number of postal drives through their decisions-indeed they have packages delivered to pick-up points or enable deliveries to neighbors. Buyers can also support providers with high environmental standards in online shopping. Second hand offers can also be a sustainable alternative to protect resources.
Overall, it shows: With a few simple measures, everyone can help to significantly reduce the ecological footprint of online shopping and thus make a positive contribution to environmental protection.