B2 – Upper Intermediate
Online shopping offers unparalleled convenience, but hides significant environmental impact, from packaging waste to increased carbon emissions. While it may seem more environmentally-friendly than traditional in-store shopping, this perception isn’t always accurate.
Read this article to learn more about the environmental impact of online shopping.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/environmental-impact-online-shopping-carrybagslimited/
Vocabulary Questions:
- What does “a way of life” mean? “We are living in a world where online shopping is becoming a way of life, resulting in a global supply chain that is unable to recover, and our planet is being negatively affected by this practice.” Give a similar expression and use “a way of life” in a sentence.
- Define “projected growth” in this sentence. “There is a projected growth of 36% in the number of delivery vehicles by 2030, resulting in approximately 7.2 million vehicles.” Make a sentence with this phrase.
- What does “e-commerce revolution” mean? “Although the e-commerce revolution has greatly benefited society, it is important not to ignore the impact it has on the environment.” Use this in a sentence.
Discussion Questions:
- According to the article, how does online shopping impact the environment?
- How often do you purchase online, and have you ever considered its environmental impact?
- In your opinion, what can individuals do to decrease the environmental effect of their online shopping habits?
- Do you think there are more pros or cons to purchasing online in terms of environmental impact? Explain.
- How do you think the projected growth in the number of delivery vehicles will affect your local area and commute times?
2 replies on “The Environmental Impact of Online Shopping”
1. Online shopping impacts on the environment in different ways. Firstly, it can be that the delivery person needs to make several attempts to deliver the product since the client is not at home. It provokes more emissions of carbon dioxide at the atmosphere and therefore, more pollution.
On the other hand, the packaging used to protect the products needs huge quantities of the bulb from trees to produce carton.
Finally, it is also the shipping and return of the products around the world which increases the emission of carbon dioxide.
2. I do not usually buy online since I prefer to go to the shop to see and touch the product. Sometimes, I have seen clothes which looks very attractive online and the same product in the shop is completely different because of the colour, size or texture. The only thing I buy online is the parapharmacy products since they are more difficult to find them around me.
3. Individuals should be more conscious about the implication of this type of shopping before making a purchasing. I know people that buy the same product in different sizes just to try them on and return what they do not fit.
4. From my point of view, there is more cons to purchasing online. If you buy something in a physical store the use of packaging is optimized, since the client usually carries their own bag and the products are brought together with other items in a big carton package. Besides, the number of trucks to deliver the items will be reduced to the number of stores which will be less than the number of individual clients.
5. I have realized that the online shopping is becoming common in the society, mainly in the younger generations. I see more and more delivery vans in the city affecting to the traffic jam. On some occasions such as Christmas or special days, deliveries suffer delays due to they can absorb all the purchasing.
Interesting ideas about impact of online shopping on the environment. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this matter.
Take a look at how this sentence can be written better:
Well done practicing your skills. Until your next entry!