Large retailers don’t have smokestacks, but they generate a lot of pollution − and states are starting to regulate it

The Conversation

Center

High Factuality

Large retailers don’t have smokestacks, but they generate a lot of pollution − and states are starting to regulate it

One of many trucks that move Target goods nationwide. Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesDid you receive a mail-order package this week? Carriers in the U.S. shipped 64 packages for every American in 2022, so it’s quite possible. That commerce reflects the expansion of large-scale retail in recent decades, especially big-box chains like Walmart, Target, Best Buy and Home Depot that sell goods both in stores and online. This has led to the growth of dis…