SmallBusinessNewz

A study into the environmental impact of a purchase at a brick-and-mortar store versus an online retailer found that online shopping is helping to save the planet.

Online shopping is convenient and cost-saving and, according to The Green Design Unit at Carnegie Mellon University, it’s also green. Their case study, “Life Cycle Comparison of Traditional Retail and E-commerce Logistics for Electronic Products” (.pdf) found Buy.com’s e-commerce model performed better than that of a typical bricks-and-mortar shopping experience in terms of carbon dioxide emissions and energy consumption.

In fact, carbon dioxide emissions and energy use for the online purchase were found to be 35% less than a trip in a car to the mall. The comparison was based on the purchase of a flash drive from Buy.com to buying the same product at a store.

Not surprisingly, the serious offender in the case of the traditional retail model was customer transport, which accounted for a staggering 65% of total emissions. (For the purposes of the study it was assumed that the average person drives about 14 miles round-trip per shopping outing, and buys about three different items on one trip).

“Consumers are looking for ways to live a more environmentally conscious lifestyle, whether that be recycling at home, reducing paper and packaging consumption or purchasing products that have less impact on our natural resources,” said Neel Grover, CEO and president of Buy.com. “This study solidifies that online shopping is another avenue they can embrace to help lower their carbon footprint and energy consumption.”

But before e-retailers begin donning kaftans and weaving flowers in their hair there are a couple of areas where the e-commerce model fails to perform, namely packaging and express shipments.

Whereas a delivery van uses less energy per package than a consumer driving to and from a store, a same-day delivery by air negates any benefits of purchasing online. By the same token, a carrier bag from a store has less of an environmental impact than the swathes of plastic and paper often necessary to protect a package sent through the mail.

Some big online retailers are already addressing the packaging issue. Amazon has introduced Frustration Free Packaging on some of its products, using environmentally friendly materials that also alleviate ‘wrap rage’ caused by impenetrable clamshells and metal ties.

The study points out that Buy.com’s e-commerce model limits the impact of shipping as it does not hold its own inventory, instead distributing items direct from suppliers. “Other e-commerce companies having their own warehouses could have higher energy use than estimated here due to additional transportation and warehousing”, says the study.