More than half of online shoppers in the UK worry about the environmental impact of increasing e-commerce demand.

A new report by e-commerce shipping platform Sendcloud also found that only 38 per cent of online consumers are willing to pay extra for CO2-neutral green delivery, which is only offered by one per cent of UK online retailers.

The research raises a question about whether the onus lies on the customer to shift behaviour around sustainable shopping or whether it is the responsibility of the retailer to implement greener deliveries and packaging.

“Attitudes towards a more sustainable living have changed dramatically in 2020, so it’s difficult to read that sustainable delivery and shipping is still not considered a top priority for either consumers or retailers,” said Rob van den Heuvel, chief executive, Sendcloud. “And, with the rise in online shopping due to Covid and the peak seasonal periods of Christmas and Black Friday/Cyber Monday looming, it’s hard to see this situation changing in the short-term.

“However, there are some positive signs that consumer demand is changing the way we shop and deliver in the future, with more sustainable packaging and electric delivery vans making headway in the UK and across Europe. Smarter delivery options, such as real-time delivery notifications, are also helping increase first-time deliveries and reduce the carbon footprint of shipping services.”

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