As the modern world becomes increasingly more reliant on technology, commerce has also become digitized. From completely online retailers, like Amazon, to brick-and-mortar stores offering an online shopping alternative, it takes little more than a few clicks to have any product shipped right to your door.
There has been a lot of discourse about whether online shopping is harmful to the environment, but this is actually not true. In fact, shopping online is sometimes greener than shopping in-person, and most packaging – cardboard and plastic – is usually recyclable.
MIT conducted a study in 2023 that found traditional shopping has a carbon footprint twice the size of online shopping.
It all has to do with the effect vehicles have on the environment. Every purchase is connected to some sort of vehicle, and a single delivery truck is more efficient than 50 people driving 50 cars to different stores to find what they’re looking for.
However, online shopping is not always a great thing.
The demand for fast deliveries takes away from the efficiency of online shipping. Now, instead of strategically loading trucks with packages for certain areas and maximizing efficiency, consumerism creates a need for more trucks and more trips to get everything delivered right away.
Further, we can’t view everything strictly from an environmental lens. There’s a quality-of-life element, too. In just the last couple of decades, we have seen businesses close due to an increase in online competitors and a significant loss of retail jobs.
Online shopping also makes unethically made products more accessible as anyone can order products from countries with fewer labor laws. For example, in the last two decades, fashion production has doubled, according to the American Chemical Society, and in the next 20 years, it is expected to triple. Fast fashion is often made of toxic dyes and synthetic materials that are not biodegradable. They end up in landfills where they contribute to greenhouse gases, pollution and the integration of microplastics into the environment. This means that while online shopping itself isn’t hurting the environment, the market it creates is.
Traditional shopping is also so much fun and holds cultural significance, and everyone would be distraught if there were fewer brick-and-mortar stores to peruse on a lazy Saturday.
That being said, online shopping is still a great tool to cut down on how many trips you take to the store each week. E-commerce is also great for people in rural environments who have to travel miles to buy certain products, and it is a fantastic resource for people who are disabled or can’t drive.
To make your online shopping more sustainable, try and group your purchases so they can come in the same box, opt for the slower delivery option and be a mindful consumer. Be informed about the companies you are buying from and prioritize small businesses over corporations if you can afford to. Also – recycle your boxes and packaging!
So, the next time you are wondering if your online purchases are doing harm, as long as you are being mindful and intentional, there is no need to worry!
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