How to make your online shopping greener (2024)

Online shopping is growing in popularity, with 26% of all retail purchases being made online according to the Office for National Statistics, and it's no wonder why.

Rather than queueing up for the changing rooms in a physical store, online shopping allows you to order an item in various sizes and colours with the knowledge that you can stick them back in the post and get your money back.

But the days of returning clothes for free could be ending, with Zara joining Next and Uniqlo as the latest retailer to start charging customers to return items.

While this is disappointing for some customers, others are wary of the environmental cost of online shopping returns. 'Bracketing' — the act of buying products with the intention of sending them back — has become so common that around 30-40% of all clothes bought online are returned according to Eco-Age. Not only is this wasteful — less than half of returned items go back on sale — but these clothes also enter a reverse supply chain that emits even more carbon dioxide.

To help you make greener shopping decisions, we break down the environmental problem of online shopping and how you can reduce your impact.

How does the clothing industry impact the environment?

To understand the environmental impact of online clothing returns, you'll need to know how the production and transportation of new clothes is harming the environment.

Fast fashion has been a hot topic for the last few years because the production and transportation of new clothes accounts for around 8-10% of global carbon emissions and nearly 20% of the world's wastewater.

In the UK, we buy more new clothes per person than in any other country across Europe. Sustainable fashion activists suggest that by buying cutting down on new clothes or buying second-hand instead, you can avoid funding this environmentally harmful process.

Aja Barber, environmental activist and author of Consumed: The need for collective change, said: "Shopping second hand ultimately is a win for the environment because you're not just keeping something from the landfill but your lowering the demand for the creation of new products.

"There's more than enough for everyone on this planet — it's just time to put it to good use."

If you do buy new clothes, shopping online does not necessarily produce more carbon— in fact, it can be greener because one van can be delivering everyone's purchases instead of everyone driving to a physical store. However, you'll notice that your online purchase will arrive in a lot more packaging, whereas if you buy clothes in a store and bring your own bag, you can avoid plastic all together.

Why returns end up in a landfill

One of the main issues with online shopping returns is that after going through this pollution-heavy process, most returned clothes end up in a landfill rather than being resold. Why? The same reason that many retailers are now charging for returns: they demand extra warehouse space and employees to sort them, and can often only be resold at marked down prices.

Returns cost UK retailers around £60 billion annually, and a third of this is generated by online shopping, and it's often cheaper to put them in landfill instead of reselling them. Not only is this a waste of the carbon and water it took to produce and transport the clothing, but they also release greenhouse gases as they decompose.

The impact of online returns

When an item is returned, its carbon footprint increases as it is put through a reverse supply chain as it is transported back to the warehouse, and possibly to the landfill.

You may already be aware of this issue and making a conscious effort to avoid 'bracketing' — ordering clothes in different colours and sizes with the intention of sending them back — but sometimes despite our best efforts, clothing items need to be returned. Luckily, there are ways to make this process greener.

3 tips for greener online returns

1. Offset your carbon emissions

If you do need to return your purchase, using a carbon-conscious delivery service can make a difference to your parcel's carbon footprint.

Royal Mail has the lowest reported carbon emissions per parcel, thanks to their 'Feet on the Street' network of over 90,000 postal workers. They also allow you to work out the emissions of your delivery and offset them using their carbon calculator. Most retailers with free online returns offer Royal Mail as an option to send back your package.

DHL also offer carbon neutral shipping options, offsetting every parcel dropped off at a DHL Service Point or collection booked online or over the phone.

2. Exchange in-store

Some retailers, such as Zara, Boden, M&S and H&M, allow you to return online purchases in-store which can help to reduce the use of fuel, particularly if you walk, cycle or use public transport to get there.

We recommend checking the retailer's website to see how items can be returned before making a purchase.

3. Rethink your retailer

Purchasing from retailers who are committed to lessening their environmental impact can help lessen the impact of your online shop. For example, ASOS claim that they never send products to the landfill and that 97% of their returns are resold. They also allow you to send back items from multiple returns in one parcel, which means fewer vans on the road.

How to make your online shopping greener

There are easy ways to make your online shopping more sustainable before the item gets to your doorstep! Here's our top tips:

1. Rethink the last (and first) mile

Pick up your parcel from a store, locker or petrol station using ‘click & collect’ and help cut last-mile emissions. The same goes for returns – get in your steps by walking to the local post office or DPD, Doddle, Evri, CollectPlus and UPS drop-off points.

With talk of electric trucks, bikes, drones and even bots taking over our last-mile delivery service, this may not be a sacrifice for much long.

2. Shop either online or in-store

If it stops people from driving to the shops, online shopping has the potential to be greener than in-store. In an ideal world, it means just one van delivering from a warehouse straight to the consumer, compared to a flood of individual cars driving to the shops. In reality, most of us do both, so it may be better to choose just one.

3. Be patient

Choosing standard delivery rather than next-day can help to decrease carbon emissions by about 30% according to the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics. You'll only appreciate your purchase more having had to longingly wait for its arrival!

4. Buy second hand and upcycled items, and avoid impulsive buys

Purchasing used, open-box, refurbished, upcycled and vintage items is a great way to shop more sustainably. It can also be more cost-effective.

ASOS Marketplace is a great platform for scouring vintage collections and smaller boutiques rather than mass manufacturers. If you do choose to shop online, scrutinise your basket and think carefully about every purchase to avoid unnecessary returns – especially when buying new.

5. Speak up: brand loyalty is out

We consumers have the power to make change. If you're disgruntled by the excessive packaging of your online order, tell the retailer.

According to recent research by Mondi, 58% of British consumers admit they would switch to a different brand because it uses less packaging. It was customer feedback that initiated Amazon's Frustration Free Packaging, which is made of 100% recyclable materials or ships products in their original wrapping to eliminate the need for an additional box.

6. Calculate your personal shopping footprint

Many of us worry about the environmental damage done by our shopping habits. And with all the conflicting messages, advice and scaremongering, it's hard not to become overwhelmed. Luckily, actress Emma Watson has launched a calculator to help assess just how bad our wardrobes are for the planet. Calculate your fashion footprint.