Buying online while staying green: is it possible?

Amazon, Shein, Zalando, AliExpress… Ring a bell? That is completely normal. E-commerce sites have become essential, and experienced an incredible spike during the pandemic. Indeed, being forced to stay at home meant there was no other choice than to stock up online! But is all of this ecological? Is it possible to shop online while staying green?

Problems related to online shopping

Online shopping has quite a few qualities: greater product variety, convenience for the consumer (who does not have to travel), savings on warehouses, etc. But certain problems are associated with it.

Packaging

When shopping online, the product obviously needs to be packaged so that it does not break, get damaged, etc. These packages can take several forms: a box, a closed paper bag, a plastic pouch... However, some packaging is much more polluting than others. And some companies use a lot more packaging than necessary.

For example, you might receive a simple lipstick wrapped in plastic, placed inside a small cardboard box, which is itself inside another larger cardboard box. Is there really any need for all these layers of protection for such a small item?

Transport

Depending on the site you buy from, there is a high chance that transport will be necessary to send your purchase. This can involve a trip via truck, plane, etc. The further away you buy from (United States, China, etc.), the more transport methods the journey will require, which means only one thing: more CO² emissions in the air.

Let us take the example of the lipstick again. Such a small item could travel thousands of kilometers to reach its destination. Of course, the truck or plane will not just be transporting that single lipstick... But ultimately, is all this mobilization of transport really necessary?