Today we have the option of having our groceries delivered to us instead of going to the high street. If we want to reduce our carbon footprint, is it better to do our weekly shopping online and get it delivered to us, or should we make the effort to shop ourselves at the supermarket?

Online deliveries

Analysis by Professor Mike Bernes-Lee shows that carbon emissions are saved from doing online shopping. A delivery van from Ocado or Sainsburys will save multiple car journeys by delivering shopping to lots of houses in one trip. This takes cars off the road and reduces carbon emissions created by shopping trips. If the delivery van is electric rather than diesel, this will more than halve the emissions created by the journey. If you buy regularly from Amazon, they give you the option to combine deliveries to make fewer trips. You should choose this option whenever it is possible for you.

Shopping in person

Shopping in the supermarket in person usually means you drive by car there and back. The more individual journeys, the more cars on the road. There are couple of exceptions when it is better to shop individually instead of online delivery. If you live in a remote place, this will increase the length of the journeys by delivery vans and cause more carbon emissions. Also, if you travel by public transport, cycle or walk to and from the shops, this is better than a delivery van, even if it is an electric delivery van.