Ordering items online has opened up a new avenue of international trade, especially for the smaller consumer harvesting services like eBay, Etsy, and Amazon. For the trader who wishes to dispatch a novel or unusual item overseas, what is the most environmentally friendly way to do so?
This article follows on from a review of current last mile technologies (“Ecommerce dilemma: The greenest way to send packages”) and future-state contactless solutions (“Future technologies of ‘last mile’ sustainable logistics”).
To assess the carbon impact of international forms of travel, RAJA UK undertook a survey based on equivalent carbon dioxide emissions per kilometer of travel.
This showed that the most eco-conscious way to send something internationally is via international rail. For example, a return flight from London to Barcelona would produce 0.34 tons of equivalent carbon dioxide. Whereas, putting a parcel onto a train would generate only 0.01 tons.
The table below, compiled by RAJA UK and provided to Digital Journal, presents different modes of delivery in terms of local, national, and international impact. For local, this is modeled on a trip within London; for national, this is based on moving a package from central London to the Scottish capital (Edinburgh); and for the international assessment, the London to Spain route has been used.
| Method of transport | LOCAL – Total transport footprint in CO2e from Kings Cross to Tower Bridge (4.4 miles) | NATIONAL – Total transport footprint in CO2e from Kings Cross to Edinburgh (401 miles) | INTERNATIONAL – Total transport footprint in CO2e from Kings Cross to Barcelona (933 miles) |
| Plug-in hybrid car (average petrol plug-in hybrid car) | < 0.02 tons | 0.05 tons | 0.11 tons |
| Petrol Car (average petrol car) | < 0.02 tons | 0.11 tons | 0.26 tons |
| Petrol Van (up to 3.5 tons) | < 0.02 tons | 0.14 tons | 0.32 tons |
| Motorbike (125-500 cc) | < 0.02 tons | 0.07 tons | 0.15 tons |
| Bus | < 0.02 tons | 0.07 tons | 0.15 tons |
| Coach | < 0.02 tons | 0.02 tons | 0.04 tons |
| National Rail | < 0.02 tons | 0.02 tons | 0.05 tons |
| International Rail | N/A | N/A | 0.01 ton |
| Tube | < 0.02 tons | 0.02 tons | 0.04 tons |
| Taxi | < 0.02 tons | 0.10 tons | 0.22 tons |
| Flight (return trip) | < 0.02 tons | 0.28 tons | 0.34 tons |
| Drone (0.5 kg) | 0.0008 tons | 0.074 tons | 0.17 tons |
| Bike | 0.0001 tons | 0.011 tons | 0.26 tons |
In terms of how to interpret these findings, the table indicates that for an ecommerce firm seeking to send a small cardboard package somewhere within a radius of 5 miles, the bike or the drone is the best option. A bike ride or alternatively a drone flight (carrying a package up to 0.5kg) only produces 0.0001 tons and 0.0008 tons of equivalent carbon dioxide respectively.
However, for a delivery further afield, such as from Kings Cross to Edinburgh for example, national rail provides the greenest solution. This mode of transportation produces only 0.02 tons of equivalent carbon dioxide during the journey. This is followed by a hybrid vehicle as the next option. Such a vehicle emits 0.5 tons in the 401 miles compared to its petrol counterpart, which produces more than double the equivalent carbon dioxide of 0.11 tons.
These types of data can aid both logistics companies, retailers, and consumers in thinking through the local, national, and global environmental impact of their transportation choices.
