US EditionFast Shipping Is Increasing Emissions. Here’s Why Delivery Has Become More Polluting
Demand for faster delivery increases emissions 10 to 12% due to less efficient routing and more carbon-intensive transport, researchers and Amazon data show.
- Throughout the week, faster shipping shifts deliveries from optimized routing to speed-first, raising emissions by 10 to 12% as vans run half full and make extra trips for the last mile.
- Customers placing separate overnight or same-day orders force carriers to dispatch half-full vans that loop neighbourhoods, multiplying trips and fuel use throughout the week, Sreedevi Rajagopalan said.
- Data for the first nine months of 2025 shows single-day delivery choices reduced over 300 million stops and avoided 100,000 tons of CO2, while Amazon expands electric vans, rail, bicycles, and fulfillment centers.
- Christopher Faires noted delaying delivery by one to two days cuts CO2 by 36%, and delivery customers in Mexico often wait longer after seeing environmental-impact data.
- With the last mile hardest to decarbonize, tight windows often lead to air freight use, so retailers and logistics companies are shifting to rail, bikes, and electric vans to reduce emissions.
46 Articles
46 Articles
It seems simple: you make your purchases, find what you want and click to buy. The product is delivered today, tomorrow or in the night. We got used to this speed. But this convenience has a cost for the climate.
San Diego Union Tribune
Fast shipping is increasing emissions. Here’s why delivery has become more polluting
By AYA DIAB, Associated Press It feels simple: You shop, find something you want and click to buy. It shows up today, overnight or tomorrow. We’ve gotten used to that speed. But that convenience comes with a climate cost. Related Articles US strikes another alleged drug-smuggling boat in eastern Pacific US economy expands at a surprisingly strong 4.3% annual rate in the third quarter A look at the …
It seems simple: you make your purchases, find what you want and click to buy. The product is delivered today, tomorrow or in the night. We got used to this speed. But this convenience has a cost for the climate.
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