{"id":4546,"date":"2024-04-19T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-19T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/?p=4546"},"modified":"2025-06-12T12:16:35","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T09:16:35","slug":"e-commerce-returns-a-growing-environmental-concern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/e-commerce-returns-a-growing-environmental-concern\/","title":{"rendered":"E-Commerce Returns: A Growing Environmental Concern"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">E-commerce has revolutionized the way we buy our products, offering convenience and accessibility with a few clicks. However, behind this seamless experience, exists a significant environmental cost, particularly when it comes to the return of e-commerce products. A recent <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.cleanhub.com\/ecommerce-returns-environmental-impact#two\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">report<\/a> from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cleanhub.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">CleanHub<\/a> sheds light on the alarming environmental impact of online shopping returns, revealing staggering figures of packaging waste and CO<sub>2<\/sub> emissions. As more and more consumers and businesses turn to online platforms, it is crucial to understand and address the environmental consequences of this growing trend.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">TABLE OF CONTENTS<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/e-commerce-returns-a-growing-environmental-concern\/#Online_Shopping_vs_Traditional_Shopping\" >Online Shopping vs Traditional Shopping<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/e-commerce-returns-a-growing-environmental-concern\/#The_Process_of_Online_Returns\" >The Process of Online Returns<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/e-commerce-returns-a-growing-environmental-concern\/#Discarding_Rather_Than_Reselling\" >Discarding Rather Than Reselling<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/e-commerce-returns-a-growing-environmental-concern\/#The_Fashion_Industry\" >The Fashion Industry<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/e-commerce-returns-a-growing-environmental-concern\/#Rethinking_E-Commerce_Practices\" >Rethinking E-Commerce Practices<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/e-commerce-returns-a-growing-environmental-concern\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Online_Shopping_vs_Traditional_Shopping\"><\/span><strong>Online Shopping vs Traditional Shopping<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">While traditional shopping may contribute more emissions overall, <strong>online shopping generates a higher volume of returns<\/strong> and varies by industry, reaching as high as <strong>40 %<\/strong>. At the same time, returns account for just 5-10 % of all in-store purchases because the process isn\u2019t as easy for consumers.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Moreover, the report indicates that online shopping returns lead to nearly<strong> five times<\/strong> <strong>more packaging waste<\/strong> compared to returns for in-person stores. On the other hand, retailers&#8217; encouragement for consumers to use additional packaging materials during the return process, also adds further to the mounting-waste problem.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Process_of_Online_Returns\"><\/span><strong>The Process of Online Returns<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Transportation logistics, associated with returns, contribute to emissions and consequently climate change as well, while, a lot of times, the process of returning online purchases may involve additional shipping and packaging, leading to increased emissions and waste. Additionally, some products must be cleaned, re-packaged, or repaired, further increasing the energy required (also referred to as reverse logistics).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Discarding_Rather_Than_Reselling\"><\/span><strong>Discarding Rather Than Reselling<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">CleanHub mentions that retailers in the United States have disposed over <strong>9.5 billion pounds<\/strong> of returned products in 2022, which, as the report analyzes, seemed more cost-effective than trying to resell their products. US retailers are calculated to have lost <strong>$816 billion<\/strong> to returns processes in the same year, with most of them during the holiday season, at which point it is estimated that approximately <strong>1 million returns<\/strong> <strong>are made every single day.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-4542\" src=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/E-Commerce-Returns-e1713519362924.jpg\" alt=\"E-Commerce Returns - person ordering online\" width=\"1024\" height=\"580\" \/><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Fashion_Industry\"><\/span><strong>The Fashion Industry<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Many returned items, as mentioned earlier, are discarded by retailers due to the high cost of processing returns. The fashion industry, in particular, struggles with reselling lightly worn or damaged items, leading to significant waste.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">With an average <strong>return rate of 30 %<\/strong>, online shopping surpasses in-store purchases in the frequency of returns. Fast fashion and &#8216;wardrobing&#8217; practices (buying a garment for short-term use and returning it under false claims for a full refund) emerge as significant contributors to high return rates, leading to <strong>increased emissions and landfill accumulation<\/strong> <strong>of packaging and other types of waste<\/strong>, as returned products often end up discarded rather than resold.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Fueled by the rise of the aforementioned fast fashion, <strong>clothing returns alone release the same emissions as 3 million cars<\/strong> in the US, as the report mentions.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Rethinking_E-Commerce_Practices\"><\/span><strong>Rethinking E-Commerce Practices<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">CleanHub&#8217;s report underscores the need for sustainable reforms in the e-commerce sector. Both consumers and businesses play a pivotal role in mitigating the environmental impact of returns.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The most effective way, for customers to reduce the effects of online returns seems to be the total avoidance of returning items needlessly, since merely 20 % of online purchases are returned due to damage.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">As for businesses, <strong>educating customers on the impact of their returns<\/strong> and how to reuse packaging when returning their products, but also swapping plastic packaging for more sustainable materials or reducing the size of packages can similarly have an important impact on a company\u2019s return waste and emissions.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Online returns present both a challenge and an opportunity for positive change. By prioritizing sustainability and raising awareness, businesses and consumers can contribute to a greener e-commerce industry. Addressing the environmental impact of online returns requires collective action and a shift in consumer and retailer behavior, in order to improve the return process with sustainable practices.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Learn more on how we can help you in making your packaging more sustainable by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/contact-us\/\">contacting<\/a> out team of experts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>E-commerce has revolutionized the way we buy our products, offering convenience and accessibility with a few clicks. However, behind this seamless experience, exists a significant environmental cost, particularly when it comes to the return of e-commerce products. A recent report from CleanHub sheds light on the alarming environmental impact of online shopping returns, revealing staggering&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4543,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en","category-industry-trends-reports-en","category-28","category-541","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4546"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4546\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9471,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4546\/revisions\/9471"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}