Energy consumption in e-commerce and the role of packaging

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden analysed whether conventional trade with stores or e-commerce with home delivery is more energy-efficient. In a literature search they identified 11 studies, with 16 cases, that compared the energy efficiency.
They found that the net effect of energy consumption was in the majority of the cases positive for the e-commerce channel. Packaging contributed considerably to the energy consumption difference for some products. The e-commerce channel consumed generally more energy from packaging, but indirect effects (e.g. volume efficiency) were not considered. An article about the research is published in the Journal of Cleaner Production.
Click here for an abstract of the article.
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