D2.2 Fast Read: Shaping sustainable e-commerce logistics

Unlocking consumer insights to promote sustainable e-commerce logistics

The rapid growth in e-commerce has reshaped consumer habits offering unparalleled convenience but also introducing pressing societal challenges. With delivery rates rising rapidly, the environmental burden—manifested in increased pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and congestion—is escalating. These impacts extend beyond environmental concerns to include threats to public health, such as rising noise levels, traffic stress, and safety risks.  

Deliverable 2.2 aims to understand how consumers become aware of the consequences of e-commerce deliveries and returns and explores behavioural change processes leading them to choose more sustainable options. Based on 21 biographical interviews conducted with consumers from four European countries (Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, and Norway), the findings reveal that: 

• Even if consumers are aware of some issues related to online shopping, the impacts of last mile delivery remain a significant blind spot. Even when consumers are aware of the challenges posed by online deliveries and returns, this awareness tends to be fragmented, focusing on specific aspects rather than the broader picture. As a result, consumer knowledge about e-commerce impacts is relatively patchy and incomplete. 

• Consumers report becoming aware of these issues through various channels, including news and documentaries, their studies or professional experiences, social networks, personal encounters with delivery consequences, and their environmental awareness or reasoning. Awareness is not instantaneous; it is built gradually over time, often through multiple channels. However, the interviews reveal a critical gap: retailers, public organizations, and authorities play a limited role in informing consumers.  

• Despite awareness of last mile delivery issues, some consumers remain in the contemplation stage, where they recognize the problem but do not take steps to change their behaviour.  

• As consumer awareness is typically fragmented, with a focus on specific issues rather than the broader context, this implies that even committed consumers may exhibit unsustainable behaviours in areas they are less informed about. 

• Factors beyond awareness can influence behaviour change. Life events, social networks, and opportunities to act sustainably all play a role in driving change. Nevertheless, significant barriers persist, notably the convenience and cost of sustainable options. The findings underscore a critical insight: awareness alone is insufficient to drive change. It must be paired with pro-sustainability values or the availability of convenient, cost-effective sustainable delivery solutions to effectively foster behavioural shifts. 

The findings from this deliverable lead to the following recommendations: 

• Engaging consumers through targeted strategies: Develop targeted campaigns to raise consumers’ awareness about the environmental and social consequences of their delivery choices and highlight the availability and advantages of sustainable alternatives. 

• Develop retailer and policy interventions: Retailers and public authorities should take a more active role in promoting sustainable delivery options through transparent and trustworthy information. 

• Make sustainability convenient: Develop solutions that align sustainable delivery options with consumer priorities, such as affordability and convenience, to encourage widespread adoption. 

By understanding the factors that shape consumer awareness and behavioural change, this research provides valuable insights for better communicating to consumers about the societal impacts of e-commerce deliveries and incentivizing their choices.