Do you shop online, or do you prefer old-fashioned brick-and-mortar stores? After hearing that online shopping is better for the environment than in-person purchases, I decided to do some research into the environmental impact of online shopping. What I learned might surprise you.
The lure of convenience
I’ve written before about the big lie of convenience culture. Nowhere is this more evident than in our shopping habits.
Technology has forever changed the way we shop. It’s just so easy to shop from the comfort of your home and have your purchases show up on your doorstop within a few days—or in some cases a few hours. Online shopping currently accounts for around 20% of retail sales. That’s lower than I thought, but the number has been steadily growing in recent years. (Source: Forbes)
It’s just a matter of time before online shopping surpasses in-person shopping. That’s why we need to take the time to understand its impact and develop good habits now.
Online shopping may have a lower environmental impact
A few months ago, I heard about a study from online thrift and consignment store ThredUp. The study revealed online shopping has a lower environmental impact than in-person shopping. That surprised me as I had always assumed online shopping had a greater impact. ThredUp’s study looked at the impact of online clothing purchases. Another study from MIT reached a similar conclusion about other types of goods.
However, both studies presented a big caveat. The lower environmental impact of online shopping only applies if customers use standard shipping. That’s where our love of convenience could be our downfall. When our need for speed leads us to choose next-day or same-day delivery instead of standard shipping, the impact of our online purchase is greater than if we had travelled to a brick-and-mortar store and made the purchase in person.
So on an item-by-item basis, buying online with standard shipping might be better for the environment but there are a few other considerations that we can’t lose sight of.
But online shopping has its pitfalls
Overbuying and impulse purchases
Online retail giants are so good at tempting us with personalized product offers and sale notices. Everything is designed to get us to click and buy. Then after they lure us in, it takes a lot of discipline not to buy more stuff just to get free shipping.
I wasn’t able to find any data to back up my theory, but I believe the convenience of online shopping increases the risk of impulse buys.
High volume of returns
One of the challenges of online shopping is you don’t get to see, feel, or try on the item you’re buying until it shows up on your doorstep. This leads to a lot of returns. In fact, 30% of goods bought online are returned. (Source: Earth.org)
Shipping an online purchase back to the retailer immediately increases the footprint of the purchase. But the impact doesn’t stop there.
What happens to all those returns? Sadly, many of them end up in landfill. In the United States alone, clothing returns alone account for more carbon emissions than 3 million cars. (Source: Manchester Metropolitan University)
The “I don’t love it” factor
As I’ve been revisiting my 52-Week Decluttering Challenge, I made an important observation. I decluttered several items of clothing that I bought online and had worn only once or twice. I blame what I call the “I don’t love it factor.” Truthfully, I wasn’t happy with the purchases from the start but returning them was a hassle. So, I kept them and ended up decluttering them after a couple of wears.
I don’t have numbers to back up my theory, but I believe the I-don’t-love-it factor leads to more purchases as we search for products we love to replace the ones we don’t.
And even if I had taken the time to return the items, chances are they would have just ended up in landfill. It’s a conundrum.
Packaging
Excessive packaging is one of my pet peeves. Some online retailers have made progress in reducing packaging but it’s still too much. I was shocked to learn that 3 billion trees are pulped each year to produce shipping cartons. (Source: Earth.org) And I suspect very few of those cartons are reused or recycled.
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Ways to reduce your impact
Ultimately, the best thing we can do for the planet is reduce our consumption, or at least change our online shopping behaviour. Here are a few ways to do that.
Adopt mindful shopping habits
The most environmentally friendly product is the one you didn’t buy.
Joshua Becker, Becoming Minimalist
Get into the habit of asking yourself some simple questions before buying anything. That includes online and in-person purchases. Since adopting mindful shopping practices, I buy very little. Visit this post to learn more about the questions you should ask.
Try a buy nothing challenge
A buy nothing challenge is an excellent opportunity to gain valuable insights into your shopping and consumption habits. I did one a couple of years ago and I learned a lot from the experience. Visit these posts to learn how you can start your own challenge:
- Buy Nothing Challenge for Lent explains how the challenge works.
- What I learned from the Buy Nothing Challenge summarizes key takeaways from the experience.
Unsubscribe from store emails
Online retailers are really good at creating needs that don’t exist and enticing you to buy items you don’t need. Reduce the temptation by unsubscribing from store emails. You’ll spend less time dealing with unwanted emails, and you’ll save money too!
Be smart about online shopping
If you shop online, cut the risk of returns by buying from brands you know and trust. There’s a better chance the products will fit and will be of the quality you expect from that retailer.
And be sure to choose standard shipping for your online purchases.
No matter how we feel about it, online shopping is here to stay. As with everything, reducing our impact starts with awareness.
What are your thoughts on the environmental impact of online shopping? Drop me a comment below with your ideas.
The reason when I choose to buy online is of course the price. But I always choose the standard shipping and sometimes also the slowest. There is also another factor for which we should privilege at least to a certain degree buying in shops. Our cities will be more lively. It happened to me already to see empty city centres because very few shops were still there! I agree 100% with the quote that the most environmental product is the one you didn’t buy. Last Saturday I wanted to buy a second hand shirt in a second hand shop. As I didn’t need it, I didn’t buy it. And that made me proud of myself!
Yes, it is sad to see empty stores in city centres and shopping malls, although I have often wondered if we ever really needed so many stores in the first place. Yes! It does feel good when you stop yourself from buying something you don’t need. Thanks for reading, Cristiana.
Great post- I often wonder about which is better. So much to consider.
Yes, like most of these things, it’s not a straight yes or no answer. I really try to limit my shopping, especially for clothing, and only buy from brands I’m familiar with.
I think all the advice here is great Michelle, but the mindful shopping would be the key for me. Really ask yourself of the need before you put something in your virtual cart!
Right, Deb. Mindful shopping has significantly reduced how much I buy and has made me realize how little I really need.
Impulse buying and a flood of returns, landfill bound. Yep. I’m with you — good to be deliberate about purchases. Period. 😉Thanks, Michelle!
I was shocked to hear that many returns end up in landfill. Scary. And yes to thoughtful and mindful shopping habits. Thanks, Vicki! 🤗
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Returns are a big issue for clothing, but I wonder about staples (detergent, for example, or specific items that your local store no longer carries). Going store to store, hoping they have what you want, seems much less efficient than buying online.
That’s a great point. I agree that clothing is probably the biggest culprit for returns. Some things make way more sense to buy online. I think the key is planning ahead so you don’t have to use express shipping.
We shop almost 100% online. Being located in a big city where almost anything is available via a scooter delivery guy within an hour certainly has its advantages for convenience and hopefully it also makes sense environmentally.
That’s an interesting point, Monty. None of the research I read discussed things like scooter or bicycle delivery in big cities. I’m sure someone will study it at some point, though.