Green Logistics in e Commerce
Green Logistics in e Commerce
ABSTRACT. Background: Along with the very dynamic development of e-commerce, the number of logistics
operations involved in order fulfilment is increasing at a similar rate in B2C relationships. Each product must be
completed, packed and shipped or handed over for collection by the customer. Although online shopping is very
convenient for customers, it has a negative impact on the environment. The problem lays with the transportation of
individual shipments, additional packaging and materials used for this purpose, and returns.
The aim of this paper is to present the main logistics challenges related to ecofriendly e-commerce and examine the
influence of the green logistics approach in e-commerce on customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Methods: Both computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) and computer-assisted web interviews (CAWI) were
applied to gather data. In total, 592 correctly completed questionnaires were received – 200 records from CATI and 392
interviews using CAWI. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between the
variables.
Results: The empirical study confirmed the relationship between green logistics, satisfaction, and loyalty. This means
that the more attention online retailers pay to green delivery (parcel lockers, pick up drop off points, click & collect),
packaging (environmentally friendly materials and sizing of the packaging) and returns (returnable packaging, return of
used products), the more satisfied and willing to buy from the same retailers again the customers are.
Conclusions: For online shoppers, not only price, and wide products selection as well as fast delivery are important, but
also environmental aspects matter more and more often. Logistics is of particular importance. If it is not well planned and
organised, it can have a negative impact on the environment. The winners are those who invest in ecological solutions.
The presented research results encourage further scientific exploration, which would be devoted only to this issue, taking
into account other e-commerce stakeholders, i.e. sellers, suppliers and complementors.
E-commerce has shifted the center point of on renewable energy sources, energy-efficient
the logistics system from retailer to consumer, lighting, rainwater utilisation systems, etc. This
a new set of expectations emerges. The also applies to the way they work. Companies
consumers are seeking ways to maximize are training employees to keep the
convenience, choice, and price – establishing environment in mind when performing their
a completely different shopping experience daily routine duties, e.g. by reducing the
[Righby, 2011]. As more shoppers buy online, consumption of office materials, etc. [DHL,
the demand for a seamless shopping 2021].
experience lands on retailers. They have to
look for new possibilities to meet the customer Numerous authors [Liu et al., 2012;
expectations. Recently, more and more Heiskanen, 2005; Zhang, 2015] prove that the
attention has been paid to navigating e- consumers’ environmental awareness is
commerce sustainably. The biggest challenges increasing and their expectations in this respect
in this area are delivery, returns and packaging. will grow. Therefore, research is needed to
Therefore, the question arises how to deal with show what is important for customers and what
the logistics challenges of e-commerce, the directions of development of green
maintaining ecological issues at the same time. logistics in e-commerce are.
184
Kawa A., Pierański B., 2021. Green logistics in e-commerce. LogForum 17 (2), 183-192.
http://doi.org/10.17270/J.LOG.2021.588
transport (especially road transport) increases malls, petrol stations, grocery shops. An
pollution, emissions and congestion, which advantage of parcel delivery or collection
negatively affects the environment [Oláh et al., points is a lower price than in the case of door-
2019; Mangiaracina et al., 2015]. That is why to-door courier services. However, their
picturing the negative impact of e-commerce disadvantage is that the availability of the
on the environment is very tricky [Tiwari, service is limited by the opening hours of the
Singh, 2011]. points. A solution to this problem are parcel
lockers, where customers can collect and send
According to the United Nations a parcel at any time of day or night. Deliveries
Environment Programme, which has published in the PUDO model and parcel lockers are
extensive research on both European and characterised by greater flexibility of the place
global impacts on the environment, the and time of delivery. This is an advantage for
transport sector is responsible for 23-24 % of customers who are more mobile and want to
global CO2 emissions from fossil fuel have the freedom to choose where and when to
combustion and is expected to grow to one- send or collect their parcel, and a cost for those
third by 2050. That is why consumer-friendly who live a long way from such a point, e.g. in
services are needed which allow customers to rural or less populated areas. Parcel lockers
modify their delivery times and locations, as largely eliminate the last mile problem
well as provide access to an extensive network [Mangiaracina et al., 2015]. Both reliability
that supplies customers with new ways of and efficiency are increased. Almost 100% of
receiving deliveries at an alternative location. deliveries are made the first time. With home
deliveries, there are more undelivered parcels.
The most popular forms of delivery are Besides, a courier is able to deliver approx.
courier services. The biggest advantages of 100 parcels to customers daily, whereas in the
courier services are the door-to-door option case of parcel lockers, there may be over 1000
and short delivery time. Neither the sender nor of such deliveries per day. InPost, which
the recipient has to leave their office or home delivers parcels to lockers, reduces harmful
to use this service. Delivery within a given emissions in cities by 60%, and in villages by
country usually takes one working day. The 90% [InPost, 2021].
disadvantage of this solution for the customer
is the price of the service, which is the most
expensive one among all forms of delivery. RETURNS
Besides, couriers usually deliver shipments
when e-customers are at work and some Another problematic issue related to
employers prohibit collection of private parcels greenhouse gas emissions is the return of
in the workplace. products. E-commerce return rates are between
20% and 30%, which is more than double the
Instant or same-day deliveries are also 9% traditional retail return rate [Pierce, 2017].
a major challenge. If the process of such Returns may concern damaged products and
deliveries is not well optimised, couriers have those to be repaired. Most frequently, goods
empty runs or only partially filled transport purchased via the Internet are returned because
vehicles. This significantly increases fuel they do not meet the buyer’s expectations,
consumption [Sui, Rejeski, 2002; Tiwari, have technical faults, are delayed or ordered by
Singh 2011]. According to the research from mistake. These are called consumer returns
MIT’s Center for Logistics and Transportation, [XiaoYan et al., 2012]. In the case of online
fast deliveries generate more than double shopping, the customer has the right to
carbon dioxide emissions per shopper, withdraw from the contract without giving any
increasing by nearly 0.75kg [Jiang, 2016]. reason and return the ordered product [Kawa,
2019].
A solution to the last mile problem is to
allow customers to pick up and drop off Returns require additional processes. The
shipments at specially designated points goods must first be picked up by a courier or
(PUDO). These are places to which access is delivered by the customer to a PUDO, parcel
relatively easy, such as newsagents, shopping locker or click & collect point, then transported
185
,
Kawa A., Pierański B., 2021. Green logistics in e-commerce. LogForum 17 (2), 183-192.
http://doi.org/10.17270/J.LOG.2021.588
186
Kawa A., Pierański B., 2021. Green logistics in e-commerce. LogForum 17 (2), 183-192.
http://doi.org/10.17270/J.LOG.2021.588
187
,
Kawa A., Pierański B., 2021. Green logistics in e-commerce. LogForum 17 (2), 183-192.
http://doi.org/10.17270/J.LOG.2021.588
the issues related to green logistics, the to data gathering between November 2017 and
respondents were asked about customer May 2018. In total, 592 correctly (N=592)
satisfaction with the purchases made and their completed questionnaires was received – 200
loyalty to the online sellers. records from CATI and 392 interviews using
CAWI.
We used the database of e-tailers as the
sample. It included data from the Regon Measures
database kept by the Central Statistical Office
in Poland and commercial databases, such as Green logistics, satisfaction, and loyalty are
DBMS, Bisnode. multi-faceted constructs. There are variables
that are not directly observed, but affect the
Approximately 13.7 thousand respondents observed variables. Because it is a deficit of
took part (44% of the total population of e- empirical research on green logistics in e-
tailers in Poland). Non-random purposeful commerce, it was necessary to prepare
sampling was applied. The sample was indicators of this latent variable. Based on an
selected from those entities that had relevant in-depth literature review and the results of the
experience in selling products via the Internet FGI, ob-servable indicator was developed and
for at least one year. Both computer-assisted included in the questionnaire in the form of
telephone interviews (CATI) and computer- statements (Table 1).
assisted web interviews (CAWI) were applied
Table 1. Constructs, items and scales of green logistics, satisfaction, and loyalty
Green logistics. Cronbach’s alpha = 0.719
Customers buy from online sellers who offer deliveries to self-service terminals (e.g. parcel locker)
Customers buy from online sellers who offer deliveries to PUDO (pick up drop off) points (eg. a traffic kiosk. gas station)
Customers buy from online sellers who offer pickup at their branches
Customers buy from online sellers who use environmentally friendly materials for packing their parcels
Customers buy from online sellers who match the size of the packaging to the size of the product
Customers buy from online sellers who offer returnable packaging
Customers buy from online sellers who offer return of used products
We studied our model from the seller We used the Cronbach’s α as a method of
perspective. The respondent was to look at the the reliability analysis. All Cronbach’s α were
green logistics value, satisfaction, loyalty and above 0.7 indicating satisfactory internal
evaluated them through the final customer’s consistency of variables.
“eyes”. This approach is in line with what is
presented in the literature [Kawa and Results and discussion
Światowiec-Szczepańska, 2020].
The Pearson correlation coefficient was
We adopted a five-point Likert-type scale to used to study the relationship between the
assess the statements in the questionnaire variables. In addition to the strength of the
where 1 meant “strongly disagree” and 5 – relationship, it was very important to
“strongly agree”. determine whether the correlation was
statistically significant. Our study showed that
the correlations between all variables were
188
Kawa A., Pierański B., 2021. Green logistics in e-commerce. LogForum 17 (2), 183-192.
http://doi.org/10.17270/J.LOG.2021.588
189
,
Kawa A., Pierański B., 2021. Green logistics in e-commerce. LogForum 17 (2), 183-192.
http://doi.org/10.17270/J.LOG.2021.588
190
Kawa A., Pierański B., 2021. Green logistics in e-commerce. LogForum 17 (2), 183-192.
http://doi.org/10.17270/J.LOG.2021.588
Liu Z.L., Anderson T.D., Cruz J.M., 2012. Rigby D., 2011. The future of shopping.
Consumer environmental awareness and Harvard business review, 89(12), 65-76.
competition in two-stage supply chains.
Solomon M., 2020. Global parcel volumes
European Journal of Operational Research,
could reach 132 billion this year: Pitney
218(3), 602-613.
Bowes, Freight Waves,
http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2011.11.027
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/global
Mangiaracina R., Marchet G., Perotti S., -parcel-volumes-could-reach-132-billion-
Tumino A., 2015. A review of the this-year-pitney-bowes.
environmental implications of B2C e-
Srivastava S., Srivastava R., 2006. Managing
commerce: a logistics perspective. Interna-
product returns for reverse logistics.
tional Journal of Physical Distribution &
International Journal of Physical Distri-
Logistics Management, 45(6), 565-591.
bution and Logistics Management, 36,(7),
http://doi.org/10.1108/IJPDLM-06-2014-
524-546.
0133
http://doi.org/10.1108/09600030610684962
Mollenkopf D., Russo I., Frankel R., 2007. The
Statista, 2021a. https://www.statista.com/
returns management process in supply
statistics/364780/number-of-orders-alibaba-
chain strategy. International Journal of
singles-day/.
Physical Distribution and Logistics
Management, 37(7), 568-592. Statista, 2021b. Retail e-commerce sales
http://doi.org/10.1108/09600030710776482 worldwide from 2014 to 2023, Retrieved
from
Oláh J., Kitukutha N., Haddad H., Pakurár M.,
https://www.statista.com/statistics/379046/
Máté D., Popp J., 2019, Achieving sustain-
worldwide-retail-e-commerce-sales/.
able e-commerce in environmental, social
and economic dimensions by taking Sui D.Z., Rejeski D.W., 2002. Environmental
possible trade-offs. Sustainability, 11(1), impacts of the emerging digital economy:
89. the e-for-environment e-commerce?.
http://doi.org/10.3390/su11010089 Environmental Management, 29(2), 155-
163.
Oliver R. L., 1999. Whence consumer loyalty?.
http://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-001-0027-X
Journal of marketing, 63(4_suppl1), 33-44.
http://doi.org/10.1177/00222429990634s10 Tiwari S., Singh P., 2011. E-commerce:
5 prospect or threat for environment.
International Journal of Environmental
Pierce L., 2017. The sustainability of ecom-
Science and Development, 2(3), 211.
merce packaging is in question,
https://www.packagingdigest.com/sustainab XiaoYan Q., Yong H., Qinli D. Stokes P.,
ility/sustainability-ecommerce-packaging- 2012. Reverse logistics network design
question model based on e-commerce. International
Journal of Organizational Analysis, 20(2),
Powers T.L., Jack E.P., 2015, Understanding
251-261.
the causes of retail product returns.
http://doi.org/10.1108/19348831211227864
International Journal of Retail &
Distribution Management, 43(12), 1182- Zalando, 2021. https://corporate.zalando.com/
1202. en/sustainability/reducing-our-carbon-
http://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-02-2014- footprint.
0023 Zhang L., Wang L.J., You J., 2015. Consumer
Rashid N.R.N.A., Rahman N.I.A., Khalid S.A., environmental awareness and channel
2014. Environmental corporate social coordination with two substitutable
responsibility (ECSR) as a strategic products. European Journal of Operational
marketing initiatives. Procedia-Social and Research, 241(1), 63-73.
Behavioral Sciences, 130, 499-508. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2014.07.043
http://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.04.058
191
,
Kawa A., Pierański B., 2021. Green logistics in e-commerce. LogForum 17 (2), 183-192.
http://doi.org/10.17270/J.LOG.2021.588
192