Sustainability of transport packaging in e-commerce : a systematic literature review

Purpose:The purpose is to identify factors influencing the environmental sustainability of e-commerce packaging across its lifecycle.Design/methodology/approach:A systematic literature review captured 45 articles. To categorise the literature, a conceptual framework based on a lifecycle perspective was developed. An actor perspective analysed their influence and responsibilities.Findings:Five factors with multiple dimensions influence the environmental sustainability of e-commerce packaging: i) packaging design, ii) e-commerce packaging supply chains, iii) consumer perceptions towards e-commerce packaging, iv) end-of-life of e-commerce packaging, and v) governance for e-commerce packaging. The paper shows their influence in pre-use, use and post-use stages. It shows similarities and differences between the factors’ influence on disposable and reusable e-commerce packaging. Several actors affect each factor in each lifecycle stage, highlighting that challenges and improvements need system-level attention and cannot be achieved in isolation. Research implications:The review identifies challenges for the sustainability of e-commerce packaging in each factor and their influence on other factors across the lifecycle. It suggests future research directions to address these challenges. It highlights similarities and differences to obtain environmental sustainability for disposable and reusable packaging in pre-use, use and post-use stages. This lifecycle perspective can assist researchers in focusing their studies on the respective stages presented, which involve an interplay of various actors, actions, and decisions.Practical implications:The results can guide stakeholders and policymakers in establishing system-level initiatives and collaborations to improve the sustainability of e-commerce packaging.Originality/valueThis review provides novel insights into sustainable e-commerce packaging requirements from a system-level perspective for researchers and practitioners.Keywords: E-commerce, Packaging, lifecycle, Supply Chain Management, Sustainability