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Online grocery shopping is becoming increasingly popular. The number of customers doing their shopping online has almost quadrupled in five years. From a sustainability standpoint, is that good news or bad news?

According to Rabobank research, the corona pandemic boosted digital grocery shopping. Some of the new customers who bought bread, peanut butter and toilet paper online back then have stuck around. But the growth of online shopping continues even after corona. Since the last lockdown, the number of customers has grown by more than 10 percent.

Sustainable?

Is having groceries delivered more sustainable than a trip to the supermarket? Yes when it comes to fresh products such as vegetables, fruits and bread, expert sustainable transport and logistics Walther Ploos van Amstel previously told Change Inc. "Fresh products are transported from distribution centers to supermarkets. Then they end up on the shelves and are sold. Online orders are brought directly to consumers from local delivery centers. When the whole link from the store is taken out of it, you gain in time and therefore freshness."

In terms of food waste, distribution centers win out over supermarkets. "Supermarkets have about 600 to 1,000 customers per day. Because of that large margin, it is difficult to estimate the amount of products needed per day. This means that quite often some is left over and thrown away. That also produces the necessary greenhouse gas emissions."

How do you grocery shop?

The question of how you do your shopping is also relevant. Ploos van Amstel points to a recent study in France on the difference between supermarkets in inner cities and suburbs. "In the suburbs, some 60 to 80 percent do their shopping by car. By no means everyone drives electric, which creates emissions. Nor is it sustainable for everyone to come to the store separately by car. An electric delivery van can better make that move all at once. So in suburbs, the store loses out to online ordering."

In the inner city, it's a different story. "People get on their bikes or walk to the supermarket. There are no emissions for the trip to the supermarket. In that case, ordering online is just as sustainable as grocery shopping in the store," Ploos van Amstel said.

There is also much difference between the small delivery vans that deliver to homes and the large trucks that drive to supermarkets. "Almost all delivery vans drive electric and have no emissions. That is different for the trucks that deliver to the stores. Those are much heavier, making them more difficult to electrify. It will be some time before electric driving for trucks is the norm."

Even more emissions

On top of that, physical stores are CO2 emitters, he points out. "Just think about the lighting, the refrigeration, the freezer, the bakery ovens. Then again, online warehouses are much more efficiently set up and are more economical."

At the bottom line, what is more sustainable?

Ploos van Amstel's opinion is as follows: "You certainly don't have to be ashamed if you order groceries. Especially not if you would otherwise take the car to the supermarket. What also makes a difference is that many supermarkets that deliver have a minimum order size. So they don't drive just for a pack of rice."

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