![\"Shopper](\"https:\/\/upmail.co.in\/kindhubs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/470_image-asset.jpg\")
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n
The facts.<\/span><\/h3>\n\n- \n
Online shopping<\/span> <\/a>now comprises ~16% of all shopping in the USA<\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
Worldwide, it accounts for ~20% of all retail purchases <\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Amazon accounts for ~38% of all online purchases followed by Walmart and Apple, eBay and Target.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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It is truly a global phenomenon with over 50% of people purchasing internationally<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Apparel is the most commonly bought item, accounting for ~29% of the market<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Approximately 16% of all items are returned<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
\n\nThe big picture. <\/span><\/h3>\nToday, we have a lot of options when it comes to shopping and you may be considering which is a kinder way to shop, in person or online? Convenience has become paramount, globally we\u2019ve embraced the ease of online shopping despite the redundant packaging and delivery trucks clogging city streets. Yet, on the other hand, we still haven\u2019t given up the pleasure of driving to our favorite neighborhood or mall to shop in person, we still enjoy the tactile experience and thrill of finding something unexpected. Undoubtedly, there are benefits and drawback to both, but when we analyze it from multiple perspectives we can find ways to shop that are kinder to ourselves, others, and the environment. Here\u2019s how to shop sustainably.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nTaking the environment into consideration.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nThe MIT center for transportation and logistics did an analysis of the environmental impact of different types of shoppers. They divided customers into several archetypes\u2013you can dig into the full list here<\/span><\/a> but the commonest ones are listed at right. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n ![\"Chart](\"https:\/\/upmail.co.in\/kindhubs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Shopping_type.jpg\")
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n
\nWhich one is similar to your habits? <\/strong>You can see below the carbon footprint for each of the archetypes.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n ![\"Chart](\"https:\/\/upmail.co.in\/kindhubs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Shopping_carbonfootprint.jpg\")
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n
\nThe 100% online shopper (Cybernaught\u2019s) carbon footprint had half the carbon footprint of the traditional instore shopper.<\/p>\n
The traditional shopper (who goes to multiple stores and buys in store) has one of the highest carbon footprints<\/p>\n
The modern shopper, who browses at multiple stores and online and then makes the purchase online, has a carbon footprint which is almost the same as a traditional shopper. If this person adds expedited shipping, they have the highest footprint of all.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nMost other methods of shopping are roughly the same. So, what does this mean and how can we modify our environmental impact?<\/strong> Doing most of our shopping activities online is generally more energy efficient due to the optimized transportation logistics of e-commerce vs the inefficient process of driving ourselves around in our cars. Using public transportation, if possible, significantly offsets the carbon footprint of driving around. Bundling trips to the store (in person shopping) or bundling packages (online) is also a great practice that increases shopping\u2019s sustainability.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\nShopping\u2019s impact on people.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nShopping is one of the biggest employment sectors and comprises jobs in warehousing, shipping, delivery and retail storefront. Walmart is the largest private sector employer in the US with 1.6M associates<\/span><\/a> while Amazon is rapidly catching up with 1.54 total employees<\/span><\/a>. Let\u2019s take a look at the types of jobs so that we can understand the impact on people. <\/p>\nWarehousing<\/h4>\n\n- \n
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are a little over 1.9M Americans<\/span><\/a> employed in this sector with jobs in shipping, stocking, freight and distribution<\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
The average person here works approx 39h\/week and makes a little over $23\/hr<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Some common workplace issues are related to repetitive work and risk of injury from lifting and moving multiple and heavy objects<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Delivery<\/h4>\n\n- \n
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are a little over 75K Americans<\/span><\/a> employed in this sector with jobs in messenger and delivery including US postal workers<\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
The average person here makes a little over $16\/hr and it is likely that these numbers are underestimated due to the gig economy<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Some common workplace issues are related to vehicle problems, traffic congestion, deliveries taking too long and access to bathrooms<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Retail | Brick & Mortar<\/h4>\n\n- \n
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are a little over 1.55M Americans<\/span><\/a> employed in sector with jobs as cashiers,customer service reps, salespeople and stockers<\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
The average person here works approx 29h\/week and makes a little over $20\/hr<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Some common workplace issues<\/span><\/a> include job insecurity and long shifts which are often demanding physically and mentally, especially in this era of increasingly rude and insensitive<\/span><\/a> customers.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
\n\nHow shopping affects our personal wellbeing.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n ![\"Person](\"https:\/\/upmail.co.in\/kindhubs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/471_image-asset.jpg\")
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n
\nThis topic would be incomplete without talking about how shopping, whether instore and online, affects our personal wellbeing.<\/p>\n
Shopping with friends or family in person can be a fun, energizing and social experience. It\u2019s a great way to spend several hours laughing and exploring with friends. <\/p>\n
However, the line between shopping for fun and materialism\/consumerism is razor thin and blurred. It is very easy to fill our shopping bags with things that we don\u2019t need or can\u2019t afford especially when we are in a group setting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nIn addition, having too much stuff is associated<\/span><\/a> with mental health challenges. Tim Kasser, PhD, in his book, The High Price of Materialism<\/a>,<\/a> writes that when people organize their lives around things like products and social status from material items, they are unhappier in relationships, have poorer moods and suffer psychological problems. It appears that this stress we feel with clutter is real may affect our kids<\/span><\/a> negatively too.<\/p>\nWhat does this mean and how can we modify our impact on ourselves?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nIt\u2019s really important to think about what we really need vs what we want and try to purchase only what you need. Be alert that clever marketing and the ease of internet shopping has increased our impulse shopping, it\u2019s very easy to click and purchase. So, try and take a step back, wait a couple of days before making impulse purchases. If you still want it badly in two days, then you probably really do want it. To decrease accumulation, another strategy is 1:1 replacement. If you buy something, ask yourself what item could you donate or sell to make space for it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\nHow to shop sustainably\u2026 the choices!<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n
\nLife-focused<\/span><\/h3>\nIf your focus is on being kind to living things, we recommend trying to buy from businesses which treat their employees well and those which give back to society. Bundle your online deliveries especially around busy times like the holidays when delivery workers are stretched very thin. And, be patient with retail workers. Often they are stretched thin and are likely not intentionally trying to slow you down.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nShopping is an important source of jobs in our country. It directly provides valuable employment for roughly 3.6M people, not including all the various support functions. These jobs are not always easy. Patience and care is probably the biggest way that we can impact this. In our high paced world, it\u2019s worth asking ourselves how urgently do we need something and what can we do to reduce the stress in retail system that is often running on thin reserves.<\/span><\/p>\nIf you are shopping in person, there is some evidence that local businesses who source their goods locally have an <\/span>outsized positive impact<\/span><\/span><\/a> on the local economy through employment and giving back to the community. This is not always true and is prone to false marketing, so definitely do your research.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Online shopping<\/span> <\/a>now comprises ~16% of all shopping in the USA<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Worldwide, it accounts for ~20% of all retail purchases <\/p>\n<\/li>\n Amazon accounts for ~38% of all online purchases followed by Walmart and Apple, eBay and Target.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n It is truly a global phenomenon with over 50% of people purchasing internationally<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Apparel is the most commonly bought item, accounting for ~29% of the market<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Approximately 16% of all items are returned<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n Today, we have a lot of options when it comes to shopping and you may be considering which is a kinder way to shop, in person or online? Convenience has become paramount, globally we\u2019ve embraced the ease of online shopping despite the redundant packaging and delivery trucks clogging city streets. Yet, on the other hand, we still haven\u2019t given up the pleasure of driving to our favorite neighborhood or mall to shop in person, we still enjoy the tactile experience and thrill of finding something unexpected. Undoubtedly, there are benefits and drawback to both, but when we analyze it from multiple perspectives we can find ways to shop that are kinder to ourselves, others, and the environment. Here\u2019s how to shop sustainably.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Taking the environment into consideration.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The MIT center for transportation and logistics did an analysis of the environmental impact of different types of shoppers. They divided customers into several archetypes\u2013you can dig into the full list here<\/span><\/a> but the commonest ones are listed at right. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Which one is similar to your habits? <\/strong>You can see below the carbon footprint for each of the archetypes.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/a><\/p>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n The 100% online shopper (Cybernaught\u2019s) carbon footprint had half the carbon footprint of the traditional instore shopper.<\/p>\n The traditional shopper (who goes to multiple stores and buys in store) has one of the highest carbon footprints<\/p>\n The modern shopper, who browses at multiple stores and online and then makes the purchase online, has a carbon footprint which is almost the same as a traditional shopper. If this person adds expedited shipping, they have the highest footprint of all.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Most other methods of shopping are roughly the same. So, what does this mean and how can we modify our environmental impact?<\/strong> Doing most of our shopping activities online is generally more energy efficient due to the optimized transportation logistics of e-commerce vs the inefficient process of driving ourselves around in our cars. Using public transportation, if possible, significantly offsets the carbon footprint of driving around. Bundling trips to the store (in person shopping) or bundling packages (online) is also a great practice that increases shopping\u2019s sustainability.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Shopping\u2019s impact on people.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Shopping is one of the biggest employment sectors and comprises jobs in warehousing, shipping, delivery and retail storefront. Walmart is the largest private sector employer in the US with 1.6M associates<\/span><\/a> while Amazon is rapidly catching up with 1.54 total employees<\/span><\/a>. Let\u2019s take a look at the types of jobs so that we can understand the impact on people. <\/p>\n According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are a little over 1.9M Americans<\/span><\/a> employed in this sector with jobs in shipping, stocking, freight and distribution<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The average person here works approx 39h\/week and makes a little over $23\/hr<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Some common workplace issues are related to repetitive work and risk of injury from lifting and moving multiple and heavy objects<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are a little over 75K Americans<\/span><\/a> employed in this sector with jobs in messenger and delivery including US postal workers<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The average person here makes a little over $16\/hr and it is likely that these numbers are underestimated due to the gig economy<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Some common workplace issues are related to vehicle problems, traffic congestion, deliveries taking too long and access to bathrooms<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are a little over 1.55M Americans<\/span><\/a> employed in sector with jobs as cashiers,customer service reps, salespeople and stockers<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The average person here works approx 29h\/week and makes a little over $20\/hr<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Some common workplace issues<\/span><\/a> include job insecurity and long shifts which are often demanding physically and mentally, especially in this era of increasingly rude and insensitive<\/span><\/a> customers.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n How shopping affects our personal wellbeing.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n This topic would be incomplete without talking about how shopping, whether instore and online, affects our personal wellbeing.<\/p>\n Shopping with friends or family in person can be a fun, energizing and social experience. It\u2019s a great way to spend several hours laughing and exploring with friends. <\/p>\n However, the line between shopping for fun and materialism\/consumerism is razor thin and blurred. It is very easy to fill our shopping bags with things that we don\u2019t need or can\u2019t afford especially when we are in a group setting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In addition, having too much stuff is associated<\/span><\/a> with mental health challenges. Tim Kasser, PhD, in his book, The High Price of Materialism<\/a>,<\/a> writes that when people organize their lives around things like products and social status from material items, they are unhappier in relationships, have poorer moods and suffer psychological problems. It appears that this stress we feel with clutter is real may affect our kids<\/span><\/a> negatively too.<\/p>\n What does this mean and how can we modify our impact on ourselves?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s really important to think about what we really need vs what we want and try to purchase only what you need. Be alert that clever marketing and the ease of internet shopping has increased our impulse shopping, it\u2019s very easy to click and purchase. So, try and take a step back, wait a couple of days before making impulse purchases. If you still want it badly in two days, then you probably really do want it. To decrease accumulation, another strategy is 1:1 replacement. If you buy something, ask yourself what item could you donate or sell to make space for it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n If your focus is on being kind to living things, we recommend trying to buy from businesses which treat their employees well and those which give back to society. Bundle your online deliveries especially around busy times like the holidays when delivery workers are stretched very thin. And, be patient with retail workers. Often they are stretched thin and are likely not intentionally trying to slow you down.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Shopping is an important source of jobs in our country. It directly provides valuable employment for roughly 3.6M people, not including all the various support functions. These jobs are not always easy. Patience and care is probably the biggest way that we can impact this. In our high paced world, it\u2019s worth asking ourselves how urgently do we need something and what can we do to reduce the stress in retail system that is often running on thin reserves.<\/span><\/p>\n If you are shopping in person, there is some evidence that local businesses who source their goods locally have an <\/span>outsized positive impact<\/span><\/span><\/a> on the local economy through employment and giving back to the community. This is not always true and is prone to false marketing, so definitely do your research.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nThe big picture. <\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\nWarehousing<\/h4>\n
\n
Delivery<\/h4>\n
\n
Retail | Brick & Mortar<\/h4>\n
\n
\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n
\nHow to shop sustainably\u2026 the choices!<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
Life-focused<\/span><\/h3>\n