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Geog1003 Final Project

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Geog1003 Final Project
GEOG1003
Contemporary Global Environmental Issues
Final Project

Is Online Shopping a Green Retail Option?

Ho Yan Nok (3035108796)

Abstract
With technological advancements in recent decades, online shopping has become a more favorable business option than traditional shopping. Online shopping has successfully won customers over for its convenience as it allows consumers to browse, choose and order products from the comfort of their homes. Yet, environmental impact is seldom a topic of concern to most shoppers. Is online shopping better for the environment, or could it be worse? Considering the likelihood of online shopping to be widely adopted, the environmentally-friendliness of such retail alternative, in terms of transportation, packaging and warehousing, will be analyzed and discussed in this research paper.

Introduction
Online shopping has increasingly entrenched in consumer culture. About 4.2% of purchases were done with a computer or hand-held device in 2011, compared with 3.3% in 2008 (U.S. Censes Bureau, 2011). While concerns about the environmental impact of online retail have been raised, there is no general consensus on the environmental impact of online retail versus traditional retail model (Crawford, 2012). The general public tends to think that the difference between the two models is quite insignificant since the energy used to operate the computer would offset the energy saved from not having to pick their goods up. Yet, Jerry Storch, the CEO of ToysRus, however, said online shopping is very ungreen. Is online shopping beneficial or harmful to the environment?

Materials and Methods
Books are the most popular items purchased online (Argyridou, 2009). The retail and e-tail product pathways of purchasing the same book, along with results from previous research are to be compared to show carbon footprint of the two retail options, and thus the environmental impacts associated with online and conventional shopping.
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