In-store purchase vs. e-commerce purchase. What impact on ecology?

In your opinion? Which is the most beneficial for the planet?
October 9, 2020 by
In-store purchase vs. e-commerce purchase. What impact on ecology?
RDV SA / STAR Logistique, Aurore Troussard

    Are you more the type to shop online, at the mall or in the city center? At a time when ecology and the carbon footprint are on everyone's lips, we wondered about our consumption habits, which have been somewhat disrupted during this period of health crisis. Which one generates, in your opinion, the lowest carbon footprint and therefore has a lower impact on the climate? Some answers in the rest of this article.


    First of all, did you know that according to a study published by Eurostat; OFS – Omnibus TIC, Switzerland ranks second at European level in terms of online purchases and sales (i.e. 9% of total retail trade)? The first step of the podium goes to the United Kingdom; and Denmark takes the bronze. Close on the heels of Germany and the Netherlands. More surprisingly, our French neighbors are only in eighth place. Italy for its part closes this ranking.
On average, within the Confederation, 3 out of 4 people make an online purchase every three months…

    With the advent of the Internet, online sales have gradually developed. They are particularly popular in Anglo-Saxon countries. In 2013, a thesis was carried out by an EPFL student in collaboration with MIT (Center for Transportation & Logistics, Cambridge MA, USA). This focuses its research around the carbon footprint generated by the purchase of a toy for a resident of an American urban area. They segment consumers into seven categories: the traditional, the impulsive traditional, the traditional e-informed, the modern, the cybernauts, the hurried cybernauts, the “click & collect”.



    We will focus on three typologies, with three distinct purchasing processes..


    First of all, the physical purchase. This type of consumer will emit CO2 by traveling from their place of residence to the place of sale (the largest share of emissions). To this must be added the packaging linked to transport, as well as the energy required to run the store (supermarkets are often very energy-intensive; much more than the warehouses which are used to store merchandise sold online). Finally, there remains a small part linked to transport itself to get the goods to the store. This value is lower because the products are delivered in large quantities and thus optimize the flow of goods and the costs linked to transport.
 
    If we compare with online commerce, we realize that the impact is very different: the biggest CO2 cost is, unsurprisingly, packaging. Who has never received a huge box for an object requiring three times less volume? This is explained by the additional layers of protection to guarantee the consumer that their products arrive in perfect condition at their home. Added to this are individual deliveries. But also the transport of freight (the goods ordered often come from warehouses further away which must be repatriated to the country of the end consumer). In addition, it is more polluting to deliver to individual consumers rather than to a chain of stores. Finally, we must take into account the small part inherent in the energy necessary to run the web servers.

    So… Purchase in store or purchase on the web? Our winner remains purchasing on the web. On condition, however, that you respect a few good practices: find out on the web about the items you want to buy, group your purchases together (less packaging + a single transport = controlled carbon footprint), avoid express deliveries (on average 3 times more polluting than standard deliveries), if possible favor relay points (avoid multiple redeliveries in the event of absence) and avoid returning items as much as possible.
Odoo • une photo avec une légende
Finally, in recent years, we have seen the emergence of a new trend represented by showrooms: the consumer visits a showroom before returning home to order online. This is the worst scenario in terms of CO2 emissions since it combines both purchasing methods. Avoid at all costs. Mother Nature will thank you!

In short, if you want shopping that is greener and respectful of the planet, you should favor online group purchases, taking the time to find out about the items beforehand (clothing sizes, reviews, descriptions, virtual reality trials).

Are you planning to develop an e-commerce business in the near future? Star Logistique and its subsidiary Emaloja will be your preferred e-logistics partners to help you carry out your project. Do not hesitate to send us your project to admin@starlogistique.ch or to fill out our specifications at  https://emaloja.com/cahier-des-charges-emaloja/

        



                                                                          The Star Logistique team  

Odoo • Texte et Image
In-store purchase vs. e-commerce purchase. What impact on ecology?
RDV SA / STAR Logistique, Aurore Troussard October 9, 2020
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