SIMON, a global leader in premier shopping, dining, entertainment and mixed-use destinations published a whitepaper outlining the environmental impact of shopping online versus brick-and-mortar. The study, conducted with Deloitte, shows that mall shopping can be up to 60 per cent more environmentally sustainable than online shopping.
A number of factors, including increased returns and additional packaging, contributed to e-commerce's negative environmental impact. Whereas, the lower emissions associated with brick-and-mortar locations were driven by shoppers making a greater number of purchases per trip and combining their mall visits with other activities as part of their trip chain. An initial study conducted by Deloitte in 2016 assessed the greenhouse gas emissions associated with all material, energy and waste attributable to a product in its lifecycle. Simon updated the analysis with new data to incorporate recent trends in shopper behaviours for both online and mall shopping. To ensure comparability, the life cycle assessment assumed that the consumer purchased the same basket of goods online as they would in a brick-and-mortar location. The updated study demonstrates that shopping at a mall is approximately three times more environmentally sustainable than just three years ago due to changing consumer behaviours - both online and in-store. “Simon continues to focus on improving the sustainability of its own properties. Through careful energy efficiency and renewable energy investments, we have reduced the greenhouse gas emissions at our properties by over 21 per cent in five years. However, sustainable shopping can only be achieved in collaboration with retailers and shoppers. Especially during holiday shopping, we encourage consumers to consider the environmental impact of their shopping behaviours," said Mona Benisi, vice-president of Sustainability, Simon. "Equipped with the information from this study, shoppers can be more aware about the way they shop, return goods and how they plan their trips to the mall. As a result, they can not only reduce their environmental impact, but also increase the pleasure of shopping by making it a shared experience."