There are serious sustainability issues with packaging in e-commerce

Every year, the world spends billions of dollars on the production of paper-based packaging materials, for which more than three billion trees are cut down every year worldwide. Oversized packaging is a typical problem of online shopping. The production of paper packaging has increased by 65% in the last two decades, and when it comes to online shopping, the packaging of goods now contains an average of four and a half times as much material as when shopping in a traditional store. This phenomenon is not only worrisome from an environmental point of view, but also increases companies’ carbon footprint and waste production, writes the BBC.