--- title: The Climate Benefit of Ditching Next-Day Delivery description: Bundling items when shopping online and waiting longer for your package can cut carbon emissions. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/03/31/slower-shipping-climate-benefit/ author: Simmone Shah article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-04-03T14:05:37.597Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-03T13:32:59.000Z article:section: Climate og:title: The Climate Benefit of Ditching Next-Day Delivery og:description: “It's important for us as consumers to sit back and think, ‘Do I really need this product tomorrow?’” og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/03/31/slower-shipping-climate-benefit/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1dc486f02f2d15ce/69cc292fb9c07067b240646d/OSC_Packages.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2400 og:image:height: 1350 og:image:alt: OSC Packages.png og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Climate Benefit of Ditching Next-Day Delivery twitter:description: “It's important for us as consumers to sit back and think, ‘Do I really need this product tomorrow?’” twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1dc486f02f2d15ce/69cc292fb9c07067b240646d/OSC_Packages.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Waiting Longer For Your Package Can Cut Carbon Emissions > Sponsored content. 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Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Simmone Shah](https://time.com/author/simmone-shah/)  ## Simmone Shah Reporter Apr 3, 2026 2:05 PM UTC  One small change you can do for the planet: choose slower shipping times when shopping online. One small change you can do for the planet: choose slower shipping times when shopping online. Photo illustration by TIME (Source: vistastudio via Canva)  by [Simmone Shah](https://time.com/author/simmone-shah/)  ## Simmone Shah Reporter Apr 3, 2026 2:05 PM UTC It can be hard to resist the pull of online shopping and the satisfaction of getting an item in less than two days without even leaving the house. What most people don’t consider is the [climate](https://time.com/section/climate/) impact of that convenience. When it comes to [shipping](https://time.com/collections/time-co2-futures/6961248/green-hydrogen-shipping-decarbonization/) products, the “last-mile” of delivery—the final step before a package reaches your front door—produces the most [emissions](https://time.com/7382950/climate-change-speeding-up-science/) as drivers make multiple stops, linger in traffic, and often take inefficient routes to meet tight delivery windows. One 2022 [study](https://stand.earth/our-work/campaigns/deliver-change/) found that up to 50% of a delivery’s total carbon emissions are from the "last mile". The demand for ultra-fast shipping has heightened the issue. “If you have expedited shipping, then you are not actually able to consolidate \[packages,\]” says Dr. Sreedevi Rajagopalan, director of the MIT Sustainable Supply Chain Lab. “As a result, you end up delivering less goods in a short period. You also end up visiting the same route, maybe multiple times the same day or consecutive days. So that actually results in very high emissions.” **Read more:** [_The Health and Climate Benefits of Slow Living_](https://time.com/7379818/health-climate-impact-slow-living/) An increasing number of delivery companies are moving to make their last-mile delivery more [sustainable](https://time.com/collections/davos-2026/7345577/sustainable-growth-climate-collaboration/)—including electrifying their fleets of delivery vans. Retail giant Amazon has committed to getting at least 100,000 electric delivery vehicles on the road by 2030, while FedEx has pledged to convert its entire delivery fleet to zero-emission electric vehicles by 2040.Rajagopalan says that other changes—like encouraging customers to consolidate their items into one package or pick a slower shipping option can also help companies reduce the high emissions associated with last-mile deliveries. ## What is the climate impact of fast shipping? Online shopping isn’t necessarily less sustainable than in-person shopping. One 2021 [study](https://www.oliverwyman.com/our-expertise/insights/2021/apr/is-e-commerce-good-for-europe.html#:~:text=The%20environmental%20impact%20of%20e,times%20the%20amount%20they%20generate.) found that shopping in person results in anywhere from 1.5 to 2.9 times more greenhouse gas emissions than online shopping. However, a number of factors play into the sustainability of either option.“If you are going to use your own car or if you go to the store more often, then it is going to lead to an increase in emissions \[compared to\] using public transport and making purchases once in a week instead of going every day,” Rajagopalan says. After Amazon and Walmart rolled out same-day delivery options for customers in 2015 and 2017, [researchers](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2021JCPro.28325400M/abstract) created a model that found that the practice was both more expensive and more carbon intensive—increasing both total CO2 emissions and costs up to 15% and 68%, respectively. Since then, Amazon says it has been working to make fast shipping more efficient, including encouraging consolidated shipments. Between January and September 2025, the company consolidated more than 2 billion items bought by Prime members in the U.S. which helped save an estimated 300 million delivery trips, avoided the use of more than 300 million boxes, and reduced emissions by more than 100 thousand metric tons of carbon. **Read more:** [_You Can Now Calculate Your Grocery List's Carbon Footprint_](https://time.com/6262260/grocery-list-carbon-footprint/) One thing’s for certain: online shoppers return [three times](https://www.icsc.com/news-and-views/icsc-exchange/brick-and-mortar-shopping-drives-lower-return-rate-than-online-shopping) as much merchandise as brick-and-mortar shoppers, which drives up emissions and creates further package waste. (Not to mention, 5.8 billion pounds of returned merchandise ends up in landfill each year, according to [Optoro](https://www.optoro.com/returns-news/think-before-you-return-that-gift-it-might-end-up-in-a-landfill/), a logistics company that specializes in returned merchandise.) Consider your purchases before you make them, and if you’re uncertain, see if you can test out or try on a product in a store near you before you buy it. ## How can I adopt more climate-friendly online shopping habits? How you order online can make a difference. Rather than placing small orders throughout the week or month, take time to consider your purchases and make them all at once. Some retailers give customers the option to bundle items together, which might take longer to ship, but uses less packaging and reduces the number of delivery trips. If the option is available, avoid same or next day delivery. Delaying a delivery by three to four days can reduce emissions from anywhere from 40% to 56%, Rajagopalan says. 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