In-Store vs. Online Shopping: Which Is More Sustainable?

The short answer is: it depends. 

When it comes to buying clothes, there are a lot of factors that determine its environmental impact. 

For example, packaging.

Both in-store shopping and online shopping require packaging. In-store shopping requires packaging to transport clothing to the stores, and oftentimes shoppers will be given a bag to carry their clothes in following their purchase. 

Online shopping uses packaging to transport the clothes to a home address and possibly additional materials if a return is made. 

One way to improve the sustainability of your purchases is to opt for companies that use recyclable or compostable packaging materials as opposed to single-use plastics. 

Another consideration is the greenhouse gases that are emitted from transporting clothes. 

Emissions associated with in-store shopping involve transporting the clothes from a production facility to a store. They also involve an individual transporting themselves to the store and then back home. 

Online shopping eliminates the back-and-forth between home and the store. However, online shopping also tends to result in a higher frequency of product returns. 

Buying clothes in-store gives you the opportunity to try things on and make sure you like the way that they look and feel. 

When you buy clothes online, you don’t have that opportunity which often results in them not fitting or you not liking how they look in person. As a result, online shopping often leads to returning clothes which ends up doubling the travel emissions associated with the clothes. 

Another factor to consider is, particularly with fast-fashion companies, it can be cheaper to simply throw away returned clothing items as opposed to trying to unpackage, reorganize, and then resell the piece of clothing. This results in product waste that goes to the landfills.

Now, what if a company that uses eco-friendly materials and has low emissions from clothing production has to travel far to get to you, but an otherwise environmentally harmful company has to travel much less far to reach you?

The bottom line is, when it comes to in-store shopping versus online shopping, there is not going to be one that is always more sustainable than the other.

The best thing you can do when shopping for clothes is evaluate companies individually before deciding to buy from them. 

Look at their transparency, emissions, packaging materials, proximity to you, etc., to determine if they meet your sustainability standards and if you feel comfortable putting your money towards their company.

Good luck shopping!