Sustainability in eCommerce: From Priority to Practice

With rising consumer expectations and tightening environmental regulations, retailers are rethinking long-established practices to reduce waste, cut emissions, and strengthen brand trust.

Growing Commitment to Sustainable Practices

In a recent DHL survey of 4,050 eCommerce decision-makers, 85% said sustainability is important to their business, signaling a strong shift in industry priorities. The majority are acting accordingly by offering more sustainable delivery choices (70%), switching to responsibly sourced packaging (60%), and showing customers the environmental impact of their orders (64%).

Consumers are proving that sustainability influences purchasing decisions: 55% of global online shoppers say it will matter more to them within five years, and 35% have abandoned carts due to sustainability concerns. Where businesses fail to act, they risk losing customers to greener competitors. For retailers, sustainability is no longer a nice-to-have add-on—it is a core operational requirement.

Different Approaches Based on Business Size

While intention is widespread, execution varies significantly by company size. Large businesses are more likely to adopt advanced sustainable practices, benefiting from financial resources and operational scale. For example, 91% of large businesses say sustainability is important, compared with 87% of medium and 83% of small businesses. Smaller companies cite cost, time, and complexity as the biggest roadblocks.

These disparities also extend to packaging and delivery innovation. Large companies more frequently use sustainable packaging and provide low-impact shipping options, while smaller firms often struggle to balance customer expectations for fast, free delivery with higher costs associated with eco-friendly practices.

Packaging: The Sustainability Battleground

Packaging has become one of the most urgent sustainability challenges in eCommerce. As a 2023 review of e-commerce packaging research notes, online retail generates a huge amount of packaging waste, much of which is oversized and unnecessary. The shift toward home delivery has accelerated material use and increased emissions, particularly during the highly polluting “last mile” of delivery.

Historically, packaging technology improved rapidly until the 1990s, but progress has since slowed due to economic and environmental constraints. Many packaging products still depend on non-renewable materials, and current recycling infrastructure cannot fully offset their impact. Researchers argue that future breakthrough solutions must involve renewable, compostable, or reusable materials, such as cellulose-based options or advanced 3D-printed formats that are better optimized for product volume and transport efficiency.

Global Leaders in Sustainable Packaging & Delivery

Progress varies widely by region. Retailers in India (73%), Spain (72%) and the UK (63%) lead the way in sustainable packaging adoption, and when it comes to offering greener delivery methods, India (86%), Turkey (80%) and Malaysia (78%) are ahead of the curve. These examples demonstrate that innovation is not limited to the largest global markets.

Across the industry, key opportunities to reduce environmental impact include:

• Lightweight packaging that cuts transportation emissions
  

• Reusable or returnable packaging models
  

• Pick-up points and parcel lockers, which reduce last-mile trips
  

• Accurate emissions transparency to inform consumer decision-making

The Future of Sustainable eCommerce

Academic research and industry trends point toward a future where packaging is:

• Biodegradable or reusable
  

• Digitally optimized using additive manufacturing
  

• Designed under circular economy principles (reuse, recycle, renew, rethink)
  

Emerging technologies such as autonomous electric delivery vehicles, drones, and advanced logistics algorithms hold promise for reducing carbon emissions. However, innovation alone is not enough: education and customer behavior will play a crucial role. Encouraging consumers to choose slower, lower-impact delivery or consolidate shipments could dramatically lower emissions.

Conclusion

Sustainability in eCommerce is evolving from promise to practice. The data is clear: businesses recognize sustainability as essential, consumers increasingly demand it, and packaging and logistics are central to the challenge. Large companies are currently leading implementation, but accessible technologies, improved materials, and circular design will enable smaller businesses to catch up.

To stay competitive and responsible in the rapidly growing digital marketplace, retailers must integrate sustainability into every stage of the customer journey—not just because it is good for the planet, but because it is now a strategic business advantage.

Sources & References

DHL. (2025). 2025 e-Commerce Trends Report. https://group.dhl.com/content/dam/deutschepostdhl/en/media-center/media-relations/documents/2025/e-commerce-trends-report-2025-business-edition.pdf 

Journal of Cleaner Production. (2021). Sustainability in e-commerce packaging: A review. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652620343596