Sustainability has become one of the most important values for consumers. Companies are increasingly required to follow sustainable processes and take care of the environment. In addition, last year in April, the Spanish Government issued the Climate Change and Energy Transition Law. This forces companies to report your greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and accredit, through the publication of a specific report, its efforts to reduce them.
The ease of buying online has caused some consumers to forget that these also pollute, and a lot. According to a report from Statistical about e-sustainabilitybusiness global emissions of CO2 of international maritime transport in 2019 were 710 million tons of CO2. And it is expected that 2030 begin to descend to 658 million tons of CO2.
However, not only does maritime transport pollute, so do trucks (22%), planes (8%), buses (7%), two/three wheelers (3%) and light commercial vehicles (5%).
Although we have previously talked about the decrease in contamination in shipments through maritime transport, it will not be a norm in logistics. The growth of sales through the online channel for the coming years brings with it a negative forecast for emissions of CO2. Statistical forecasts that by 2030 delivery vehicles will increase to 7.2 million and this will cause emissions to increase to 25 million tons of CO2.
How much does it pollute? packaging?
Shipments are not the only thing that pollutes the e-commerce sector. Another area that can be very polluting, such as the packaging, which generates 45% of the sector’s total emissions.
Plastic containers are the most polluting and in 2019 there are countries like China that generated 221.5 million kilograms of plastics or the United States that generated 212.7. In the case of Spain, there were 9.8 million plastics.
However, 41% of Americans they opt for buy products of a brand when they have a packaging sustainable.
E-commerce pollution by sector
It is true that the e-commerce sector pollutes, but it does not do so in the same way in all sectors. Depending on the type of product they sell, brands can pollute more or less.
The fashion sector is the most polluting. On Spain this sector pollutes 400 grams of product 1,116 grams of CO2; Our country is the most polluting. However, there is one country that stands out: France. Our neighboring country only pollutes 593 grams of CO2 per 400 grams.
Another sector is the bookswhere 350 grams of product contaminate an average of 600 grams of CO2. The country where this sector pollutes the most is Germany, where a figure of 829 grams of CO2.
In the market of Electronic products For 250 grams of product, the average contamination reaches around 800 grams of CO2. In this sector, the most polluting country is once again Germany.
