Black Friday could accelerate global warming

With the expectation of being the best Black Friday ever, the 2020 edition of the shopping event can contribute to a considerable increase in carbon emissions, worsening global warming, due to the large amount of deliveries. This is what a report released by the price comparison site Money points out.

According to the British publication, something that should make the situation worse is the requirement of many customers to receive their orders the day after shopping. The concentration of demand in a shorter period of time overloads companies’ ability to deliver.

To meet the deadlines, delivery companies will need to hire extra drivers, using their own vehicles, which are generally less efficient when compared to the official fleet. The report also states that same-day delivery is also a problem, as it gives less time to consolidate orders on routes.

Another data revealed in the survey is that 85% of UK consumers plan to take advantage of the promotions on the 27th of November. However, only one in 10 of them is concerned with the impact of the delivery of their purchases on the environment.

Companies most concerned with emissions

If buyers don’t care about the emissions generated by their orders, some logistics companies and large retailers are looking for solutions to try to reduce the pollution caused by their vehicles.

The page made a ranking of the firms most concerned about this aspect. Royal Mail, the UK’s postal service, appears prominently on the list, having used electric tricycles to deliver part of the 1.8 billion packages distributed annually.

Other companies mentioned were Amazon, with its pick-up and drop-off points, reducing the number of home deliveries, and the logistics company UPS, which has invested in a fleet of electric and hybrid cars.