Green Last Mile (E-Pack)

E-commerce and sustainability are two significant topics in today’s discussions. The increase in online shopping, especially during the coronavirus crisis, has led to a rise in the number of parcels per Belgian citizen and a wider range of online offerings. This has sparked debates about the sustainability of e-commerce, including concerns about packaging waste, delivery truck congestion in cities, the environmental impact of free returns, and the efficiency of same-day or next-day delivery. However, there are also studies showing that under the right circumstances, e-commerce can be more sustainable than traditional offline shopping.

These circumstances are situated in a number of areas: there is the chosen delivery method, the type of packaging that the webshop uses, the choice of vehicle type, the efficiency of the route and also consumer-specific issues such as the place of residence (rural vs. urban) and how the consumer travels to a pick-up point (on foot or by car). Green Last Mile aims to provide concrete answers to the social debate on the sustainability of e-commerce.

Results

• If consumers always go for the most sustainable delivery option, the sustainability cost drops by 21%.
• To gain insight into the sustainability of various delivery options, it is crucial to calculate this in a consistent, systematic, and scientifically based manner.
• At the request of VIL and Comeos, VUB Mobilise developed a calculation method to display the most sustainable delivery option per purchase at the zip code level. This new tool, called Smartdrop, is now being rolled out as a continuation of this project by Comeos at five retailers: AVA, Decathlon, Dreamland, Fnac/Vanden Borre and Ici Paris XL.
• In order to effectively convince consumers to choose the most sustainable option, it is important that retailers clearly communicate this option in their webshops and also actively communicate about it through various channels.
• E-commerce packaging also has a significant impact on sustainability, especially the fill rate of packages and the materials used. To this end, VIL has worked out advice together with VITO to make packaging as sustainable as possible.