Being able to click a button and get a little treat to your door can feel like a miracle of technological and supply-chain convenience. But getting that speedy shipment of vitamins or new socks to your doorstep within a day or two comes at a price.
In an ideal world—one in which shipping speeds are slower, fleets are electric, and retailers consolidate packages into fewer trips—home delivery could be the most eco-friendly shopping option. In a reality where same-day and next-day shipping has become the norm, though, more delivery vehicles are driving longer with multiple drop-offs, which is far less efficient than a tight route.
The final leg of home delivery, often referred to as the “last mile,” is what separates ordering wares from in-store shopping in terms of emissions. Toting goods to individual homes is responsible for up to 50% of all carbon from delivery vehicles, which amounted to 4.5 million tons of CO2 in 2020—that’s equal to the emissions associated with powering nearly a million homes for a year.
There are also a lot of bumps in the e-commerce road that spike its negative impacts. In terms of planet-warming potential: Up to 20% of packages aren’t delivered on the first try, and about 17% of online purchases are returned. Then there’s pollution and waste: About a third of trash in the U.S. comes from e-commerce packaging, and delivery vehicles usually run on diesel, whose exhaust pollutes the environment and harms health.
But at the end of the day, if going to the store requires a separate drive, it could make more sense emissions-wise to just go ahead and order what you need. One analysis even found that shopping online could significantly reduce vehicle emissions under the right circumstances. As we wait for potentially climate-friendly last-mile options (i.e., electric trucks) to scale up, here are a few things we can do to lessen the impact of those deliveries.
Good: Slower shipping
Picking the slowest shipping speed available allows companies to better consolidate their freight shipments. Taking time to efficiently—and fully—pack trucks means half-empty ones aren’t doing the rounds and wasting fuel. Not to mention, the zippiest delivery options, especially for international purchases, tend to be via flight, which is around 20 to 30 times more polluting than sea freight.
Better: Consolidate your orders
Rather than a bunch of micro purchases, add items to your cart over time and only head to checkout when you have multiple items to order. If the retailer offers the option to group your items into one box—that might arrive a bit later—take it. This is often the case for giants like Amazon and Walmart, and if you shop on reselling sites like Etsy or Poshmark buying multiple items from the same seller can allow one shipment to be full of multiple goodies.
Best: Use a central pickup point
If it’s available in your area, opting to have deliveries sent to a nearby pickup location, like a UPS Store or Amazon Locker, means trucks can run tighter routes with fewer stops. One study estimates that taking advantage of pickup points could reduce emissions from the last mile by up to two-thirds. For extra credit: Don’t make a special trip to pick up your purchase, but swing by when you’re already in the neighborhood.