Environment and e-commerce: the complex equation of the shopping/footprint ratio

E-commerce and the environment: what are the problems and what solutions are there?

Numerous articles have documented the fact that fast fashion, mass consumption or even overconsumption is synonymous with excessive consumer behaviour that destroys the environment.

At the risk of repeating ourselves, it must be said that our consumer behaviour has changed radically lately. Especially with the advent of the internet and the multiplication of online shops, which have become indispensable for all brands that want to publicise their products. Yes, online orders are now part of our everyday lives.

Practical, simple, fast: now we no longer have to go outside to find bargains with less risk thanks to the simplified returns and exchanges policy. Shopping from the sofa has become the perfect Sunday evening activity for many of us.

But what are the real consequences of this dematerialised shopping?

For the ethical and sustainable fashionista in you, here's an article that will tell you more about the environmental impact of online and physical shopping. When you think about it, the first thing you might think is that online shopping reduces energy consumption by cutting down on transport. Making a purchase in a physical shop, there are two journeys: the goods travel to the shop, and all the shoppers use their means of transport to get to the shop. Buying online, on the other hand, you only have to make one delivery, and the potential customer doesn't have to make a single journey.

So we're tempted to say: yes, e-commerce can be good for our beautiful planet... However, things are not quite as simple as that, and this statement needs to be qualified.

What impact do online purchases have? :

Hosting an e-commerce site and energy consumption:

Computer hosting in the cloud consumes electricity. One estimate predicts that data centres will consume 20% of the world's electricity by 2025, i.e. today.

Product storage and delivery times:

Deliveries are becoming faster and faster, with warehouses sprouting up everywhere to enable 24-hour delivery. Around 15% of the building stock is used solely for this purpose, disfiguring the landscape and taking up too much land.

Shipment and delivery of orders:

Trucks are only partly filled to meet delivery deadlines. Empty traffic is a waste of resources. What's more, 20% of deliveries have to be represented, so each new delivery causes new pollution. Product sourcing: Low prices and sourcing from a country with low labour costs require long supply routes (sea, air and land).

Product packaging:

Over-packaging due to standardisation of the parcel, as well as plastic products that are not recycled. Returns: In the European Union, consumers have 14 days to return goods purchased online. Companies (even eco-responsible ones) put stamped return labels in the parcel to allow free returns. The result: 24% of orders are returned to France. For players like Amazon, the returns processing centre is located in a country with low labour costs. As a result, returns travel by lorry across the whole of Europe to be processed in Bulgaria, only to return when another order is placed in the other direction. It's mind-boggling!

What can be done to reduce the environmental impact of online shopping?

Below are the proposals put forward by the gouv.fr website to improve the environmental impact of e-commerce. You can find their proposals here.
Better consumer information:

1) Offer several choices with different carbon impacts:

2) Don't encourage consumers to order several sizes of a product, with the aim of limiting product returns, for example by offering personalised advice on sizing.

3) Remind consumers about sorting and reusing packaging, in particular.

4) From 1 September 2022, to enable consumers to better identify the products with the best carbon footprint in the catalogue.
Work on packaging (volume and reuse)

5) Use only recycled, recyclable and reusable delivery packaging, giving priority to packaging with the best environmental balance, for example, from sustainably managed and certified forests.

Reduce over-packaging and empty packaging by adapting the container to the contents.

Work on storage and deliveries.

1) Group deliveries together whenever possible.

2) Offer eco-responsible delivery methods:

Encourage the development of low-carbon delivery methods and choose suppliers with a commitment to reducing emissions (see Ademe's EVE programme).

- 2) Finally, as well as optimising last-mile delivery, delivery to the collection point can also be considered.
Work on products:

3) Offer eco-responsible products: locally made, sustainable, repairable and recyclable products have a much better impact than products that travel around the earth one and a half times without you.

4) Advice and better presentation of the range to reduce returns: better presentation and advice will reduce returns. Don't encourage consumers to pick up several items only to return the ones they don't want.

5) Offset the carbon impact of e-commerce activity:

To improve the environmental impact of e-commerce, we have implemented the following measures:

A) Eco-responsible and locally manufactured products sourced as near as possible

We manufacture our clothes in France and source as many of our raw materials as possible in France and as far away as possible in Europe, which reduces transport and our carbon footprint.

B) Recyclable and recycled packaging;

* To send you your parcels, we have chosen environmentally friendly packaging, such as cardboard or paper, and we reuse certain packaging elements many times to promote recycling. Box sizes are adapted to the size of your garment.

*Tips to reduce the impact even further: reuse the cardboard.

C) Reduce returns

* We invite you to be very vigilant when purchasing your garment on our site so that you don't have to return the item and to contact us if you have the slightest doubt! Size guide, personalised advice, special alterations... we're here to make sure that you'll love your new Aatise piece for a long time to come, without giving in to the urge to make a compulsive purchase that you'll regret a few days later...

Having said all that, far be it from us to encourage you to cancel your next shopping trip: we simply encourage you to pedal with a clear conscience to one of our points of sale in France or to the nearest Point Relais!

D) Delivery by post or to a collection point to reduce the impact on the environment

* You can choose between delivery by post or delivery by a Mondial Relais collection point.