CO2 Emission from Chennai's e-commerce industry alarming

CHENNAI: Even as dependency on e-commerce industry has been increasing in cities, a study revealed that the five Indian cities, including Chennai, emit more carbon dioxide (CO2) from last-mile delivery than the last mile emissions of countries like France and Canada.

According to research conducted by Stand.earth Research Group and commissioned by the Clean Mobility Collective, the last-mile emissions of the six largest global delivery and e-commerce companies alone amount to approximately 4.5 megatons of CO2. This figure is expected to rise exponentially in the coming years. This is roughly equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions from 1 million petrol passenger vehicles.

The report shows that India's last mile emissions per delivery (285 gCO2) are significantly higher than the global weighted average (204 gCO2). Furthermore, five Indian cities – Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, and Chennai – emit more CO2 from last-mile delivery than the last-mile emissions of some countries. This is concerning since India is currently a smaller e-commerce market which is poised to become one of the biggest e-commerce markets in the world, the report added.

"The higher Indian figures for average per parcel delivery compared to global or European figures are concerning - the rise in India could potentially be attributed to greater congestion in Indian cities compared to other regions. India would benefit from ensuring an ambitious transition to electric for its last mile delivery. This would mean cleaner air in congested cities, reduction in carbon emissions, and savings for the gig workers. The e-commerce majors need to enable this transition considering their impact and future growth plans, " the report claimed.