Monday 14 December 2020
Online or on-site purchase?
The carbon footprint is decided during manufacture
Online retailing has long had a reputation for being more harmful to the climate than stationary products. The Federal Environment Agency is now having it recalculated and is clearing up with this judgment. The decision on the carbon footprint of a product is not made through the distribution channel.
According to the Federal Environment Agency, the product itself and its manufacture are decisive for the carbon footprint when shopping – and not so much whether customers order online or buy in the shop around the corner. Up to three quarters of the greenhouse gas emissions arise during production, said the authority, citing a study it had commissioned.
Accordingly, trade and transport only account for between one and ten percent of the greenhouse gases that arise in the overall life cycle of a product – including, for example, the way customers travel by car or delivery. "Whether we shop online or in stores is not so important for our carbon footprint," said UBA President Dirk Messner. The biggest adjustment screw, however, are durable products that are manufactured in an environmentally friendly manner. "At best, I can get these in the shop around the corner, which I can easily reach by bike or on foot," added Messner.
According to the study, it is primarily the additional packaging and the "last mile", i.e. delivery to the customer, that reduce the ecological balance in online retail. But more environmental protection is possible – for example, if products are only sent in their original packaging or reusable packaging is used that can be returned empty. According to this, you can save up to 370,000 tons and up to 45 percent of waste per year in mail order packaging.
A second study for the UBA came to the conclusion that ecolabels have not played a particularly important role in online trading and that there is comparatively little information on repairability or updates for digital devices. It is different with information on energy consumption, since this is mandatory. The UBA recommended that information on the manufacturer's guarantee and parameters for the average service life of the products be made mandatory.
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