E-Commerce and Climate Change

With the increased rise in popularity of online shopping platforms such as Shopee and Lazada, the pandemic has only fueled the ever-expanding industry.

Even big-time retailers such as the local giant, SM Supermalls have introduced online shopping and even personal shoppers, with purely online transactions and trying to break into the e-commerce market.

As an avid user of Shopee, I have been a user of the platform since my college days back in 2015. I remember Shopee dropping free shipping vouchers every midnight or 10 PM to entice more people to use their platform.

Nowadays, Shopee rarely gives out free shipping vouchers. Shopee has grown immensely and has garnered more than enough loyal customers to sustain this growth and has solidified its place as a major player in the e-commerce industry in the Philippines.

In a report released by UNCTAD they have mentioned that “Following the pandemic, more than half of the survey’s respondents now shop online more frequently and rely on the internet more for news, health-related information and digital entertainment.”

Along with the increased use and frequency of online shopping, the impact of e-commerce on the environment has also increased.

“At least 1.5 billion people consume products and services through e-commerce platforms, and global e-commerce sales reached US$26.7 trillion in 2019, according to a recent UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report”

The carbon emissions caused by shipping and transport only exacerbate our current climate problem. Not to mention, the plastic waste that is generated for each item that is packed and goes through the whole process.

Big companies should pledge to shift to more sustainable packaging and make plans to offset the carbon emissions and waste brought about by the industry.

Source: UNCTAD, UNEP