Estimates for the German non-food e-commerce market showed that reusable packaging might be less sustainable than single-use packaging. In the estimated model based on 2022 data, every cycle of single-use boxes made up of 90 percent recycled material may produce up to 65 grams of carbon dioxide. In turn, packaging requiring specific processing to be reused emits up to 80 grams of carbon dioxide. This is mostly due to transport emissions.
Estimated emissions of single use vs. reusable e-commerce packaging in Germany in 2022, by type
(in grams of CO2 per item per cycle)
The source calculated emissions using 2022 levels of reusable-solution materials and the actual reusability system. Data include emissions from item production as well as emissions from rotation. in the estimated model, the average distance of transport is approximately 150 kilometers in total; emissions for reusability rotations are similar to last-mile delivery. The target number of rotations is 20 (equal to an approximately 5 percent loss rate for missing, broken, stolen, and wasted parcels).
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McKinsey & Company. (April 5, 2023). Estimated emissions of single use vs. reusable e-commerce packaging in Germany in 2022, by type (in grams of CO2 per item per cycle) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved January 06, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1405171/single-use-reusable-packaging-emissions-germany/
McKinsey & Company. "Estimated emissions of single use vs. reusable e-commerce packaging in Germany in 2022, by type (in grams of CO2 per item per cycle)." Chart. April 5, 2023. Statista. Accessed January 06, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1405171/single-use-reusable-packaging-emissions-germany/
McKinsey & Company. (2023). Estimated emissions of single use vs. reusable e-commerce packaging in Germany in 2022, by type (in grams of CO2 per item per cycle). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: January 06, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1405171/single-use-reusable-packaging-emissions-germany/
McKinsey & Company. "Estimated Emissions of Single Use Vs. Reusable E-commerce Packaging in Germany in 2022, by Type (in Grams of Co2 per Item per Cycle)." Statista, Statista Inc., 5 Apr 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1405171/single-use-reusable-packaging-emissions-germany/
McKinsey & Company, Estimated emissions of single use vs. reusable e-commerce packaging in Germany in 2022, by type (in grams of CO2 per item per cycle) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1405171/single-use-reusable-packaging-emissions-germany/ (last visited January 06, 2025)
Estimated emissions of single use vs. reusable e-commerce packaging in Germany in 2022, by type (in grams of CO2 per item per cycle) [Graph], McKinsey & Company, April 5, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1405171/single-use-reusable-packaging-emissions-germany/
