Search
Close this search box.

Two thirds of UK consumers want to see action on ecommerce sustainability

DPD now enables shoppers to say if they need more time to answer the door. Image courtesy of DPD

DPD now enables shoppers to say if they need more time to answer the door. Image courtesy of DPD

Two-thirds of UK consumers now believe the Government should crack down on online delivery CO2 emissions and force online retailers to invest in more sustainable options, a new survey has found.

Some 7 out of 10 consumers also believe a trustmark could help to ensure CO2 emissions on deliveries are made available to the public. A trustmark could either showcase whether an online retailer is actively reducing or compensating emissions, or could ultimately calculate the emissions per parcel. 

Separate research from the World Economic Forum shows delivery emissions could be reduced by as much as 30% by 2030 if the public and private sector works together to prioritise the issue.

The survey, commissioned by e-commerce shipping platform Sendcloud, found a whopping 62% would even opt for alternatives to home delivery if a retailer provided emissions information at checkout, such as choosing to pick-up at a parcel locker compared to home delivery. 

Retailers can easily meet this demand by offering a sustainable option alongside existing delivery options and highlighting it with a special icon. A next step could be to pre-select the green delivery option, as previous research shows that the amount of consumers that choose green delivery triples when it is chosen by default.

Luckily retailers don’t have to foot the bill allone, as 8 out of 10 consumers are willing to pay extra for green delivery options. 

46% would be open to paying £1 or more on every parcel ordered, representing a significant investment in green delivery from the 2.8 billion UK parcels shipped during the 2019/2020 fiscal year.

“Consumers want more sustainable delivery options, but they also want to see the full effects of their purchases on the environment,” says Rob van den Heuvel, CEO and co-founder at Sendcloud. “Even though governmental action can help to accelerate the greenification of deliveries, there is still a lot retailers and consumers can do themselves. ”

He adds: “Providing information about CO2 emissions and/or pre-ticking the most sustainable choice as the default encourages consumers to choose the most sustainable delivery option at checkout. Even something as simple as a sustainability icon or compensating emissions by planting trees can go a long way in persuading consumers to go green. Retailers can do their own part now by communicating clearly to their customers and promoting the impact of their efforts. Retailers need to consciously encourage consumers by giving them the choice to go green and choose clean.”

Read More

Register for Newsletter

Group 4 Copy 3Created with Sketch.

Receive 3 newsletters per week

Group 3Created with Sketch.

Gain access to all Top500 research

Group 4Created with Sketch.

Personalise your experience on IR.net