Shopping Online is Better For the Environment Than Mall Shopping
Posted by geri on October 14th, 2008
I’ve startegd my Christmas shopping. And I find that I’m buying more and more from online toy stores. When I shop online, not only does it save me time, but it also reduces my carbon footprint.
According to “Economic and Environmental Implications of Online Retailing in the United States” (Matthews et Hendrickson), e-commerce sales have both a cost advantage, and environmental benefits. According to their study, a product purchased online has a carbon footprint because it may be shipped partially by airfreight across the country, and require local truck delivery. Furthermore, the product is likely to be packaged and the packaging cannot be re-used. However, the adverse effects of repeated trips to shopping malls and brick-and-mortar retailers outweighs the carbon footprint of online shopping.
So this Christmas, I’m going to shop online to say time, money, and the environment!