We’ve all had times when we’ve received a giant cardboard box at our doorstep only to open it and find one small item we ordered and a bunch of packing peanuts and bubble wrap.
While ordering a package to be sent to our homes is a lot more eco-friendly than driving to a store to pick the item up ourselves, ordering goods online still comes at an environmental cost.
This is especially true for retail giants like Amazon, which produce significant levels of carbon emissions in order to offer consumers fast and reliable shipping options.
On days like Amazon Prime Day, which sees thousands of consumers flocking to Amazon to order heavily discounted products with two-day or even same-day delivery, the amount of waste and the release of greenhouse gases reaches a new level.
Because Amazon offers significant deals on Amazon Prime Day, consumers are more likely to purchase more than one item during the two-day event. In an effort to keep up with the number of purchases and to help consumers receive their products as quickly as possible, Amazon is not able to consolidate all of their shipments or use the most space-efficient packaging when shipping products to their customers.
A customer who buys a product in the morning and one in the afternoon will likely see these items come in separate packages, and shipments going to similar areas might find themselves arriving via different planes, trucks, and vans. While Amazon is taking steps toward using zero-emission vehicles for their product shipments, they have not yet rolled out these changes. As a result, online shopping events like Amazon Prime Day, while fun, have the potential to be harmful to the environment.
So what does this mean for you?
Do you have to miss out on great deals in order to think about what is best for the planet?
Not exactly.
Amazon Prime Day can be eco-friendly if consumers make it a priority to keep the environment in mind when making purchases.
Here are a few ways you can make the most of Amazon Prime Day while minimizing your environmental impact:
Plan ahead
Before Amazon Prime Day starts, take the time to make a list of the products that you actually need and want to buy. This will allow you to research them ahead of time, reducing the likelihood that you will need to make a return and further contribute to Amazon Prime Day waste, and it will also keep you from last-minute shopping and impulse buying where you are more likely to order more items or need your products to arrive as soon as possible.
Order eco-friendly products
Amazon Prime Day provides an opportunity to score great deals on eco-friendly products. Save money and the planet at the same time by purchasing an outdoor compost bin, a refillable water pitcher to replace your plastic water bottles, bamboo toilet paper, or a more water-efficient showerhead for your bathroom.
Buying products that will help you reduce waste and care for the environment will make a lasting impact over time, helping you make Amazon Prime Day more eco-friendly.
It can also help if you slow down when you are making purchases on Amazon. While reduced prices can be enticing, the last thing you want to do is add something to your cart without considering its environmental impact. Take the time to see the material each product is made from and whether or not it is sustainably made before you put it in your shopping cart.
Add products to your shopping cart
Instead of using one-click shopping, add products to your cart on Amazon Prime Day.
This will help you consolidate your orders into as few shipments as possible and allow you to slow your shipments when you’re ready to check out. Amazon provides options in their checkout process like “Amazon Day Delivery” that allow you to decide to wait and receive all of the products you are ordering on the same day, and it offers you the chance to choose shipping options that are later than their most popular two-day shipping option.
By going to the checkout page and choosing to receive your orders in one shipment or choosing to wait a couple of extra days to receive that new vacuum cleaner or sweater, you can help Amazon reduce emissions and waste when shipping your order.
As Amazon works toward adopting more sustainable practices, following these tips can help you make your Amazon Prime Day more environmentally conscious.