An evaluation of the effectiveness of CO2 reduction for the carbon neutral and circular economy of e-commerce in China

The rapid development of e-commerce, further accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has intensified environmental challenges, particularly in terms of packaging waste and transportation emissions. While electric vehicles (EVs) are increasingly being used in China's logistics sector to mitigate environmental impacts, previous studies often assess packaging and transportation emissions separately. This study addresses this gap by employing the Life Cycle CO2 equivalent (LCCO2) method to quantify greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from e-commerce activities, incorporating EV application. A case study of a leading Chinese e-commerce company is used, and scenario and sensitivity analyses are conducted to assess GHG emissions from e-commerce activities and the reduction efficiency of different strategies. Results indicate that mainline transportation is the dominant source of emissions, significantly surpassing those from packaging, even under short delivery distances. Increasing the EV application rate to 100% can reduce total emissions by 53.7%, making it the most effective strategy for emission reduction. In contrast, switching from plastic to paper packaging materials and improving the recycling system have a comparatively smaller impact. Sensitivity analysis also confirms the substantial benefits of EV application and the improvement of the recycling system. This study presents an integrated assessment framework that combines packaging and transportation emissions to offer a comprehensive understanding of the environmental footprint of e-commerce. The findings provide actionable recommendations for e-commerce companies, logistics providers, and policymakers to accelerate the transition toward carbon neutrality and a circular economy in the e-commerce sector.