Online shopping is a great way to save time in our modern society. Delivery trucks pass by our neighbourhoods, piling up boxes from deliveries. Truck drivers also drive around constantly. This gives the impression that online purchasing is not eco-friendly. Recent studies suggest that online retail is not as bad as the public believes. The statistics show that online sales are cheaper than traditional ones, there is less harmful emissions into the air, and it’s a more environmentally-friendly way to shop.
Online shopping, unlike traditional shopping that involves going to a store to buy goods, is when you purchase products online from someone else. Safe Home Products conducted past surveys which showed that “89% Consumers prefer shopping online to in stores” (Safe Home Products). Amazon has a huge online presence, with a net revenue of 274,000,000 dollars. They control 65% percent of all online books. These statistics lead people to believe that their environmental friendly services and economic growth are not related. Amazon and most online shopping chains are able to dominate smaller shops that sell the same item, but they are unable to compete with Amazon’s reliability. Amazon is a dominant force in the world of retail, and this has affected “big booksellers” most. “Like Borders, which is no longer there” (Leo Mirani, “Kill Idea of Amazon Killing Independent Bookstores”. The majority of waste comes from cardboard boxes used to ship items. They end up on landfills, as this is the main method for returning online products. The packaging and shipping of products is doubled. Amazon makes money by keeping prices low and making their products more affordable. Amazon’s former employee claimed that the company is rewarded if it does not make any money. Online shopping is a great way to save money for customers. Amazon customers have said that they saved 20% when shopping online compared to other stores (Debt roundup). Online marketing is a great way to integrate innovation into economic growth.
The use of shipping trucks by online companies such Amazon, Ebay Etc. will result in a reduction of the dangerous levels released into the atmosphere. Calculations show that one delivery vehicle emits less harmful chemicals. Studies show that e-commerce consumes about 30% less fuel than traditional retail. How many emissions are produced by a single driver of a truck compared to the number of customers who drive for their product? Recent studies have shown that Amazon’s delivery trucks emit 32% less CO2 than customers who drive to their destination. Online shopping helps to slow down global warming because it reduces the amount of chemicals that are released into the air.
Online shopping represents the future and is one of today’s greenest methods to buy goods. Shopping online is eco-friendly, especially now that technology has evolved. Online downloads do not require packaging. When websites sell video and books, such as E-Books, they are environmentally-friendly when “They displace 22.5 physical book purchases” (Are E-Readers More Green Than Books?) Online shopping makes it easier to shop than physically going to the store. Business News Daily states that PwC’s survey shows “that over 27%” of U.S. consumers prefer to order online. Downloading online is more environmentally friendly than buying from a shop.
Without an effective plan, land could be wasted in shopping which can lead to the destruction of land. Online shopping will have a smaller impact on the environment as technology advances. What will the future generations have if we don’t influence online shopping? What will our future generations be left with without online shopping?
