Environmental impact of excess air in secondary packaging : A qualitative study of green packaging development theory versus practice in modern e-commerce

Abstract: The growing e-commerce industry and online shopping is increasing the demand for transportation services world-wide. This expanding industry is beneficial for the economic aspects of society, but the transportation of packages is also causing major environmental impacts along the supply chain. The environmental impact of waste and emissions attributed to the manufacturing and shipment of packages are concluded by many scholars, stressing the importance of sustainable alternatives and innovations. Environmental concerns perceived by customers, governments and other stakeholders are increasingly pressuring companies to develop sustainable products, packaging and shipping. And yet, many customers still demand low-cost and fast shipping, making the development of green packaging and shipping uncertain as an investment. New legislations entering in effect year 2021 will successfully reduce the plastic waste in world-oceans and landfill, but at the same time limit the use of effective fit-to-use packaging which will inevitably result in larger packages occupying more space in transportation vessels. This study will examine the daily practice of e-commerce companies in Sweden, studying their knowledge and thoughts regarding green packaging development with an emphasis on the maximum fill rate of the secondary transit packaging level. Interviews with five companies were conducted, studying their daily practices. The analysis of the empiric data was conducted using transcriptions, to minimize bias, all analysis was collectively interpreted by the researchers. Our result show that companies consider low-cost, protected and fast shipping to be the most important demands of their customers, the companies view sustainability as a bonus rather than a competitive advantage. The results also suggest that air in packaging is viewed as extra protection for the goods, and the negative impacts are overseen. The available studies and prior works describing green packaging development actions are quite clear, however, the companies neglect the opportunities to develop green packaging due to economic barriers and perceived customer demands, thus creating a gap between practice and theory.