The Sustainable Online Christmas Shopping Guide

The sustainable online Christmas shopping guide makes us responsible in everything we do. Online shopping has lately broken retail sales records all around the world. And its popularity in Australia has continued to increase at a rapid pace. Due to the impending arrival of Christmas. Australia Post anticipates that this will be the busiest year it has ever experienced.

November and December are the busiest shopping months in Australia. With internet shopping reaching its zenith over the Christmas season. In 2016, overall online spending reached a mind-boggling A$21.7 billion. Including parcels growing at a rate of 10.4 percent.

However, while an increase in purchases will almost always lead to an increase in carbon footprint. Internet shopping has the potential to be more environmentally friendly than traditional shopping. Provided that you follow a few basic criteria.

Online Shopping vs. In-store Shopping

Australian Post handled over 34 million domestic deliveries over Christmas 2016. We could suppose that all this package delivery increases our purchasing’s environmental impact. Yet study reveals that buying online is better than shopping in person.

Online purchasing reduces our trips to stores. Which reduces our carbon footprint. Each box delivered by a delivery truck saves on the equal number of car trips.

People often verify things in-store before buying online, negating the convenience of internet shopping. This is according to a 2013 MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics study.

Redeliveries add a considerable amount of carbon emissions to online transactions while consumers are not at home. Flexible delivery alternatives like Safe Drop from Australia Post. It can help (and some overseas companies actually allow adjustable delivery times).

Packaging is also a consideration. Most packaging boxes are made of cardboard and plastic. Nahely 50% of boxes are not recycled. Your returns are the real issue, not your waste.

Among the largest online retailers, Zalando. Where shipping and returns are free, has a 50% return rate. In 2015, the US returned goods chain utilized 4.5 billion litres of diesel. And produced 12 million tonnes of CO2.

Returning undesirable items, picking up items after a missed delivery. Also other shopping journeys all add to the carbon footprint.

The 4 Rs of the Sustainable Online Christmas Shopping

Despite the fact that the entire delivery process is complicated and involves a large number of variables. There are a few easy things to keep in mind. They are referred to as the four Rs:

Consider this: internet shopping is more environmentally friendly than traditional shopping. But only if the entire process completed digitally from beginning to end. As a result, there will be no visits to brick-and-mortar stores. The use of appropriate delivery alternatives helps to ensure that your package reaches on time. Eliminates the need for further deliveries, and reduces your carbon footprint.

Relax: purchase items long in advance to avoid having them delivered the same day or the next day. Because of this, transportation companies will be able to combine items into fewer journey. So increasing efficiency while simultaneously lowering emissions.

Returns: Is it really necessary to get that T-shirt in three different sizes, anyway? Every time a return avoided, it makes a positive contribution to the environment.

Reuse: choose environmentally friendly packaging and recycle it, particularly boxes and cushioning materials. If you want to get a sense of the scope of the problem, visit Planet Ark. An Australian environmental organization, which offers a wealth of information about recycling.

At the end of the day, even though these procedures can be beneficial. Eco-friendly purchasing begins with what you buy and where it comes from.

In most cases, transportation accounts for only a small portion of an item’s overall environmental impact. Making it critical to select the most environmentally friendly manufacturer. Keep in mind that, while delivery is critical. There is a whole supply chain that must completed first and then delivered. Happy shopping for a more sustainable future!