Remédier à l'empreinte écologique du commerce électronique

This research paper by Shamika N. Sirimanne for the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the environmental impact of the rapid growth of e-commerce. It identifies key ecological pressures—including carbon emissions from logistics, packaging waste, and high product return rates—and proposes a multi-stakeholder action plan involving governments, the private sector, consumers, and international organizations to align economic growth with environmental sustainability.

• The growth of e-commerce has been exponential, with the number of online shoppers increasing from under 100 million in 2000 to over 2 billion by 2021. UNCTAD estimates that total online business sales rose from 17 trillion USD in 2016 to 27 trillion USD in 2022 across 43 economies representing 60% of global GDP.
• E-commerce creates a significant ecological footprint through three primary channels: carbon emissions from transport, an increase in individual packaging waste (largely plastic), and high rates of product returns. The placement of distribution centers on city outskirts increases travel distances, and the demand for speed often leads to the use of carbon-intensive air transport.
• Governments can mitigate environmental impacts through urban planning to optimize warehouse locations, implementing regulations for sustainable packaging, and providing tax incentives or subsidies for green technologies like electric delivery vehicles and solar-powered distribution centers.
• The private sector can reduce its footprint by optimizing supply chains via data analysis, adopting biodegradable or reusable packaging, and discouraging excessive returns by removing free return policies. Examples include Alibaba's green packaging program and Patagonia's recycling program in the United States.
• Consumer behavior, particularly among younger generations, is a critical factor. While over 90% of Gen Z and Millennials express concern for sustainability, habits such as 'showrooming' and impulsive, fragmented purchasing increase transport emissions and waste.
• International cooperation is necessary to support developing countries in building sustainable digital infrastructure. This includes financial and technical aid from multilateral institutions and the coordination of data collection through initiatives like CODES, involving the ITU, ISO, and UNEP to ensure standardized environmental impact metrics.
• The author proposes a specific action program that includes regulating high-consumption events like 'Black Friday' and 'Cyber Monday', encouraging consumers to choose slower, low-carbon delivery options, and requiring companies to disclose their environmental impact.

APA

Sirimanne, S. N. (2024). Remédier à l'empreinte écologique du commerce électronique. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/fr/articles/policy-analysis/e-commerce-environmental-footprint

Chicago

Sirimanne, Shamika N. Remédier à l'empreinte écologique du commerce électronique. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2024. https://www.iisd.org/fr/articles/policy-analysis/e-commerce-environmental-footprint.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Sirimanne |first1=Shamika N. |title=Remédier à l'empreinte écologique du commerce électronique |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=October 2024 |url=https://www.iisd.org/fr/articles/policy-analysis/e-commerce-environmental-footprint |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sirimanne2024remdier, author = {Sirimanne, Shamika N.}, title = {{Remédier à l'empreinte écologique du commerce électronique}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2024}, month = oct, url = {https://www.iisd.org/fr/articles/policy-analysis/e-commerce-environmental-footprint}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }