Returns of online orders are expensive and pollute our environment

Online shopping has become increasingly popular in recent years. This is due to the convenience and variety of products that can be found. However, online shopping also has a significant environmental impact. One of the biggest environmental impacts of online shopping is the number of returns that are made.

According to a study by the National Retail Federation, 30% of all online orders are returned. This means that billions of items are returned to retailers each year, and this is because the vast majority of returns are at no cost to the customer. And both the cost and the environmental impact of these returns is very significant.

When an item is returned, it must be transported back to the retailer. This transport can be by truck, plane or ship. Emissions from these transportation methods contribute to climate change.

Also, the packaging in which items are returned is often not recycled. This packaging ends up in landfills, where it can take hundreds of years to decompose.

The environmental impact of online returns is not just limited to the transportation and packaging of returned items. The production of the items themselves also has an environmental impact. For example, the production of clothing requires a lot of water and energy. The production of electronic products is also resource intensive.

When items are returned, they often end up being scrapped rather than repaired. This means that all the resources that went into producing the item are wasted.

And also all this is very expensive, because the seller loses his sale and generally assumes the costs of the return until it is back to its installation.

Just to have some data, in the year 2022 in the USA, products worth 816 billion dollars were returned, and this also implied an estimate of 24 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. These returns were double those made in 2020.

And this is simply nonsense, and you cannot continue down that path. By taking steps to reduce the number of returns and the environmental impact of each return, we can help protect our planet.

What can you do to reduce the environmental impact of your online purchases?

Do your research before you buy, and make sure you buy something you really want and need. This will help reduce the number of items you end up returning.

Consider buying from sustainable retailers. There are a number of retailers that have committed to reducing their environmental impact. By shopping with these retailers, you can help support their efforts.

Please return items responsibly. If you need to return an item, please try to do so in a way that minimizes your environmental impact. You can do this by dropping off the item at a physical store or by using a carrier that offers carbon-neutral shipping.

By following these tips, you can help reduce the environmental impact of your online purchases.

For informational purposes only, here are some additional facts about the environmental impact of online returns:

The average online return generates 1.4 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions.

The amount of packaging waste generated by online returns is equivalent to the weight of 500,000 cars.

The amount of water used to produce the clothing that is returned each year is equal to the amount of water used by 5 million people.

And the important thing is that most of that waste is avoidable if you act responsibly. It depends on us.