E-commerce sector to emit 80L tonne CO2 annually by 2030, says report

Kolkata: The exponential growth of the e-commerce industry in the country will have severe adverse effects on the environment, says a research report by the Clean Mobility Collective (CMC) and Stand.Earth Research Group (SRG). According to a report titled “Cost of Convenience: Revealing the hidden climate and health impacts of the Global e-commerce-driven parcel delivery industry through 2030”, the e-commerce sector will see a tenfold increase in parcel deliveries, from the current 400 crore parcels per year to 4,000 crore annually by 2030. This will result in a total annual emission of 80 lakh tonne of carbon dioxide (CO2) by 2030 in India. To put it into perspective, it is equivalent to the CO2 generated by 16.5 lakh petrol cars driven for a year or that produced by 20 gas-fired power plants within the same timeframe. The report estimates that worldwide parcel deliveries will more than double from 31,500 crore in 2022 to 80,000 crore annually by 2030. Consequently, the global e-commerce industry is expected to contribute to a global emission of 16 crore tonne of CO2 in 2030.The report underscores that to offset the emissions generated by the last-mile delivery sector in 2022 alone, over 100 crore trees would need to be planted each year and allowed to grow for a decade. Siddharth Sreenivas, India coordinator for Clean Mobility Collective, said, “Decarbonising the sector is not only economically viable and saves India a significant amount in import expenditure but also has co-benefits of reducing and avoiding emissions and air pollution. The data aims to inform governments, policymakers, and companies of the urgent need for action and aligns with Niti Aayog's Shoonya campaign, which spearheads the decarbonisation of the sector.”