Shopping On The Web – What Is the Environmental Consequence?

It’s probably not unreasonable to say that we’re all much more environmentally conscious these days. It seems unlikely that we are about to turn into a nation of eco-warriors overnight, but the majority of people are quite prepared to make a little effort to be greener. It is actually a whole bunch of little changes by a large number of people that tends to make the difference. The good news is that you can be more environmentally aware whilst saving both time and money.

For example, Carnegie Melon University conducted a study recently and concluded that online shopping is better for the environment than the conventional method of buying from retail outlets. The purchase of a flash memory stick was used as one example and it was discovered that the traditional retail method had an environmental impact which was 35% more than making the exact same purchase on the internet.

A similar study – carried out by CleanTech this time – noted that the carbon footprint of a traditional printed book was 7.5 kg of CO2 over the course of its life. However, this figure was multiplied by a factor of two if the customer got in their car, drove to the store, bought the book and then drove home again rather than having it delivered by mail.

Approximately 65% of the emissions generated by traditional shopping methods are a direct consequence of the customer’s transport to the store and back again.

Shopping online and choosing postal delivery is not only better for the environment – it will save you time and you will often find what you’re searching for at a lower price. You can increase the environmental benefits even more just by choosing the right kind of product.

For example, if you opt to buy e-books as opposed to the conventional printed type, you will save on paper, ink and the energy used in the printing and binding process. As a rule, electronic books are cheaper than the printed versions – plus you save on gas. You can even sign up to get newspapers and magazines delivered to e-book readers like the Amazon Kindle reader every day.

Likewise, if you opt to download music to your PC or mp3 player, you will save on CDs, packaging and distribution emissions. Downloading movies, which you can now do from Amazon, iTunes and a number of other sites also has both financial and environmental benefits.

So when it comes to buying online, why not adopt a two pronged attack. Firstly, if you can avoid a journey to the store in your car by buying online then that will usually be a good option. Secondly, if you can substitute downloadable products for physical ones then not only will you be doing your bit for the environment – but you will save time and money as well.