How to e-shop sustainably

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The impact of the pandemic has been strongly felt by the e-commerce industry, which is predicted to grow by 84 per cent to touch $111 billion by 2024, as per a 2021 report. A large part of this growth has been fuelled by home-bound lifestyles and the rising popularity of mobile shopping. While the ease of e-commerce is undeniable, so is its impact on the environment - from transportation emissions to packaging materials, without timely interventions, the environmental costs of our online shopping can add up.

Change the way you consume: "The first and most important step is to learn to differentiate between a want and a need. The immediate gratification of having everything we want at our fingertips can often lead us to purchase mindlessly. The ideal way to make this distinction is to wait for at least 24 hours before confirming purchases," says freelance writer Prerna Singh.

She adds that this step can prevent the impulsive buying that is triggered by sales and discounts. In terms of kitchen and household goods, she emphasises on finishing what you have before replenishing your stock, to avoid hoarding and resultant spoilage of perishable items. Kunal Khanna, co-founder of The Odd Gumnut, a permaculture farm, says that this is a great opportunity for people to embrace self-reliance. "From household cleaners to simply stitching old clothes and reusing them instead of buying new replacements, we have the time and opportunity to reshape our consumption choices," he explains.

Tania and Sujata Biswas

Account for distance: Being reliant on large-scale delivery services, such as Amazon for instance, means that we often end up buying things that travel several kilometres to get to us, when we could have sourced them locally, Khanna says. The further goods travel, the more emissions they generate and the more packaging they use.

"For fresh produce, I opt for local vendors who can cycle to my home. I also make meal plans so that we know exactly what we need at the start of the month and don't have to make multiple orders," says Sujata Biswas, co-founder of Suta. The label's co-founder Tania Biswas observes that purchasing products that use only local ingredients can contribute towards minimising environmental impact.

Packaging matters: On websites such as Amazon, you can choose to opt out of plastic packaging while confirming your order, says Anamika Sengupta, co-founder of Almitra Sustainables. Choose brands that are mindful about their packaging. "Cardboard boxes can be composted or used as the bottom layer of your vegetable beds. Alternative packaging made of starch can be directly added to your compost. In case you don't compost, use social media to reach out to someone who does.

Pratha Narang, Prerna Singh and Anamika Sengupta

Dispose of plastic wastes responsibly - our housing society, for instance, collects plastics for polyfuel," she suggests. Pratha Narang, a photographer, says she DIYs storage and decorative items from packaging materials: "I've used plastic bottles to make food and water bowls for stray animals, and boxes for planters," she shares. Sujata says that certain vendors supply household cleaning materials in recyclable bottles that they collect and reuse every month.

Beware of false advertising
Singh cautions, "Buzzwords such as all-natural or eco-friendly don't mean much because there are no standards about what constitutes them. Do your research to understand what tangible measures the companies are taking. Most ethical brands will be transparent about their ethics and practices, and will share these on their website and social media."