London's Black Friday Deliveries Costing the Earth
Black Friday online shopping is predicted to generate 897,452 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions through deliveries in London, making the 2021 occasion the most polluting ever.
With two thirds of all Londoners (69 per cent*) expected to take part in Black Friday shopping this year, and 75 per cent of those choosing to shop online, the city will see approximately 4,877,760 purchases made for delivery. British emission-free transport platform XeroE (xeroe.co.uk), who created an emissions calculator with Imperial College London, has determined the carbon footprint of these deliveries as 897,452 CO2 emissions and 2,755,447 NOx emissions. This equates to 861,537 tonnes of coal being burnt, and 16,259 days of human life lost by the air quality from fumes in the capital. Through the XeroE Emissions Calculator, it is estimated that if these deliveries were made through a zero-emission alternative, this would save 738,728 kilograms of CO2 fumes from London’s atmosphere.
Just weeks ago, the UK Government laid out their strategy for Net Zero emissions by 2050 and restated their pledge at COP26 to cut carbon emissions by 78 per cent by 2035 (compared to that of 1990).
Whilst reports find that only one-in-ten shoppers consider carbon-friendly delivery in their online shopping decisions, it is clear that this year, more than ever, we must look to more environmentally friendly options when purchasing discounted goods. With the onus being both on the e-commerce retailer as well as the end customer.
The XeroE Emissions Calculator is available for free online to calculate the emissions deliveries and can be found at calculator.xeroe.co.uk.
Emissions calculator developed in partnership with Imperial College London.
Measurement statistics can be found in XeroE sustainability report from Q1,2 and 3.