Report Supply Chain Author

The internet offers consumers the flexibility of round-the-clock shopping with delivery to the home. Online retail sales and home deliveries have enjoyed phenomenal growth in recent years, leading several to question the impact that the resulting increase in van activity is having on the environment. At the same time, some internet retailers are now arguing that online shopping is better for the environment. Consumers have been left with no real way of assessing the environmental effects of their shopping behaviour, as to date little research has been done on this subject. The key to any environmental comparison is the treatment of the ‘last mile’ – that is, the final link in the supply chain to the home. Not only is this last link – from retailer/supplier to consumer – the most visible and highly variable, it is also the most energy intensive, and typically generates more CO2 emissions than all the upstream logistical activities. 4 The question is: how do we realistically compare the level of carbon emissions from a conventional shopping trip with those of delivery to the home?