The truth about online shopping. 

Hey team!!! I'm curious, did you shop online or in person this holiday season? Do you feel like one has a greater impact than the other in your context?

The future looks positive - more people are waking up and recognising that impact of their actions... including me. Thanks for these incredibly well done and educational videos.

I shop almost exclusively online. I'm an Amazon Prime member... but having that said, I stopped opting in for the 2-day free shipping exactly for the reasons discussed in this video. I don't need a 2-day shipping, I can wait for my parcel to arrive. Also, I stopped ordering items multiple times a month - now I wait and bundle them up. I'm really trying, guys!

I guarantee you're making a difference with this channel, your observations and analysis will help me be far more aware in my decision making.

Please please please do a video analyzing the carbon costs associated with shopping on Wish! So many RU-vidrs do hauls from that app but the products are often low quality and highly packaged! Love your videos!

it doesn't hurt to remind that the most effective way to reduce carbon emissions and waste is to not shop in the first place. many purchases can be stopped just by using what we already have, like new clothes or "upgraded" electronics. even for things we don't already have, chances are that they can be obtained by reaching out to friends and family, or at the local thrift store or even on craigslist for a fraction of the price and virtually free of waste and carbon emissions.

Right on the beginning, you're wrong tho, the helmet isn't designed to sustain damage. The helmet is designed to absorb damage, often braking in the process. Basically it's made to crack instead of your skull. After it has been used (you hit your head wearing it) it is not assured that it woul protect you correctly next time !

I personally hate online shopping, mostly because I don't to wait, but also because cycling to the book store and just browsing is so much fun!

I always choose the slow shipping on Amazon because it's free, and I recycle the boxes and paper wrapping. I don't know how much difference that makes, but hopefully it lessens the damage while I continue to learn the lesson of shopping less.

This is such an underrated channel!

You don't want your helmet to get bumped as it decreases its strength

Personally I prefer in person shopping. That being said I am a recovering cybernaut. When I shop in person I shop almost exclusively at thrift stores,keeping my footprint down even more. I'm lucky that I can walk to the thrift stores I like. Online shopping gets me every now and then because I think it's more effective at getting you to buy on impulse. I prefer and I'm trying to encourage slower, more mindful shopping.

I am really intrigued by the explanations i found here. My belief in one thing has become stronger, "If it feels wrong, it's wrong." I see the amount of plastic wasted in the shipping and how delivery guys rush and sometimes get hurt while fulfilling the need of their customers. Awareness, Curiosity and Effort is all we need to get everything back on track. Bit by bit, i think it'll be better. Thanks for uploading this video. It is really helpful.🙏🏽😇

Good video, but you made a big mistake on your first argument about packing. Bike helmets needs a more careful packing than macbook for example, thats because helmets what we use when biking are single impact helmets

Products are shipped in boxes in boxes in boxes that get unboxed, put on the shelf, then boxed again. That's why recycling is so important. Reusing material.

I was wondering if this video was going to bash online shopping entirely, but it definitely did a good job at explaining the impact of it rather than only saying that in-person solutions are better.

I think that express shipping should be available but people should use it only for stuff and occasions that need such a brief time. I also 9/10 go to shops on foot or by bus bc I don't drive. I think it also helps local stores on top of reducing emissions, and it perpetrates the need for public transportation. I see all these vegan or environmentalist RU-vidrs who drive everywhere or order everything online and I always wondered how eco-friendly those actions could be. thank you for making this video.

Holiday shopping at a mall seems pretty efficient. One car trip, walking to multiple stores, filling up the car, and then driving home

Thanks for the data. My strategy for holiday shopping is to shop year round for gifts since this act allows me to avoid the stress of last minute shopping and gives me an excuse to think about those I love and care for more often. In addition, my husband and I like to give environmentally conscious theme gifts like hand made bird houses , mushroom growing kits and this year we are giving Blue Orchard bee homes we are making from a 4X8 inch non pressure treated fir piece of wood with 5/16" in diameter and 6" deep holes drilled in it and a flattened soup can metal roof attached. We are also including early blooming local wild flower seed to plant for their bees. The great thing about this gift is for folks who don't really need anything or live in small homes they can place these out side for the benefit of all. May you all have an environmentally blessed holiday season and beyond. Bee well.

Just received a package from Colourpop. 1 concealer and 2 eyebrow pencils. The amount of bubble wrap for those three small items was absolutely ridiculous and mind blowing

In regards to packaging, some online companies are using more sustainable packaging, particually the eco stores. Which was amazing to see after the plastic and foam a lot of my other purchases came in. So if your online shipping try looking up what packaging they use or ask for more sustainable packaging if possiable. Also I remember one time being super let down by opening an eco box to discover foam pellets only to research the companies packaging online and realise it wasn’t plastic but was biodegradable instead. So that was an unexpected unpleasant but ultimately nice surprise. Eco packaging is getting better and can be interesting to research once you know what your looking for and I really like that some shops are starting to listen to customers and allow you to communicate with them about packaging wants. While online shops that don’t allow you to do that used to make me so frustrated and feel so helpless. Discovering ‘general’ eco shops where I could get eco packaging and get lots of my products shipped together rather in lots of different packages from lots of different people was amazing. I needed to do any online shopping recently but getting eco friendly packaging or even better _recycled_ eco friendly packaging and/or getting something packaged in a new eco friendly product would bring me such a thrill. Not to mention the product packaging itself. XD :) - As for the video, Good, interesting points particually about how slower shipping is better. Which I suspected but hadn’t seen laid out with facts before. Also there are places like eBay where you are buying from multiple people so there are multiple packages. One of the reasons I now prefer more ‘general’ online shops since everything is packaged together and you can plan ahead to buy lots of products together as well to condense your purchases and hopefully lower the footprint that way. I’m am slightly confused by one point. You tell us slow shopping online has a smaller footprint then shopping instore. Then your first recommendation at the end of the video is to shop in store with public or bike transportation due to social benefits? You seem to have missed a point here in explaining how local public transport/bike shopping is better then slow online shopping. You explained it’s better to use public transport/bikes but I don’t recall you saying that is better then slow online shopping, unless you are comparing fast online shopping vs local shopping methods? Rather then different shopping practices in general? I’ve also heard the ‘shop local to support local farmers and reduce your footprint’ point of view so the ‘shop online is better for your footprint’ seems to be a tad contradictory. Is the research looking at different, non food based products? Different areas of the transportation? I would have thought bulk pallets to stores would have been cheaper transport wise then individual packages transported directly to your house. However on reflection of a product is sent directly to someone’s house rather then them having to travel to get it, could cut down your footprint, although that is assuming you can even buy the product locally in the first place. (If you would need to travel long distances to buy a product then shipping the product to you with lots of other products heading the same way, is likely going to have a much reduced footprint. Unless you need to make the trip regardless.) So I can understand the logic of how slow online shopping could be better then local shopping, the leap to public transport/bike shopping being better then slow online shopping is the bit where a data point seems to be missing. Unless you were looking at fast online shopping vs public transport/bike online shopping. How long until everyone has fresh produce delivered to their door I wonder? Although your point about socialising is interesting, for all that you didn’t mention it before that point, since shopping is seen as a social putting to some. So while switching to more online shopping might be more convenient, the potential social implications could be a point to consider. (Although this could also lead into sustainable and social redesigning towns and cities ideas, to be more centralised with more public spaces closer to home so places are more sustainably designed as well as allowing people to be more social without having to travel so far. Technology is both physically enabling people to live apart while also inspiring us to learn how to live seperate but together. It’ll be interesting to see the social balance when even work and shopping doesn’t require us to set foot out our front door and be socially physicially present or interact with the outside environment if we don’t want to. The balance and sustainable and social design plans some people are coming up with is interesting. So thinking about how shopping habits could interact our social and sustainable habits long term is rather interesting. - I keep coming back to your ‘Carbon Footprint’ graph which I really like although on reflection the public transport/bike local shoppers don’t seem to be on there? It would be nice to see that data as well for comparison if it was available.

The biggest part of the carbon footprint of shopping (online or otherwise) doesn't come from last mile delivery but rather from transporting the product from its manufacturing location to the nearest fulfilment center or retailer. When shopping in a traditional brick and mortar store you can physically examine the product and see its country of origin, which is something you can't do when shopping online - in most cases it's impossible on Amazon to know where a product was manufactured. That's why when there's a choice it's always better to opt for locally manufactured products than those imported from halfway across the planet.

This channel needs more subscribers.

I prefer offline- shopping, because in this way i can ‚touch‘ and fit the products while selecting. To ride in the city i prefer to use trains and buses or my bicycle. To pick up with the train it is for free to take bikes within in my region. And textiles for example can be picked up without ‚packages‘ and plastic- bags.

Not that it changes the point, but you should know that helmets for bicycles are not designed to withstand damage, they are designed to absorb it so your skull doesn't. Legally speaking, a helmet cannot go through much damage and still be safe for use. So typically most companies package the helmets in a way that minimizes risk of the helmet showing up in a state where it is not usable. It's a huge liability thing, and you wouldn't want your helmet to show up with the foam already shattered or the shell portion with cracks in it. Anyways, great video!!

Noted. Thank you for your great work.

Online shopping is really helpful for the elderly and disabled. Every solution has a problem.

I always buy with the slowest option, there is never a reason why I need something in a day or less. People need to learn patience, we are all in this together, the environment is a priority to us all.

Great video thanks

Your videos are great! How you make it? Maybe you can upload video about behind the science you make your videos

Great, stylishly made videos.

Don't want this waste? Just stop Purchasing Crap.

A bike helmet can resist damage ONCE

good job man !

Thank you so much...

this video widen my views on certain things like online shopping...never thought like that before..thanks...except the helmet packaging thing...haha

Great video.

Great video, I like the videos you have been doing and they are all great. I would like to know if you could do a video of the environmental changes that China has been doing lately. I have lived in China for two years and big cities in China are a great example of change towards sustainability, they are not perfect and there is still a great deal of pollution being created but I think it would make a great topic.

I enjoyed a lot by watching this gorgeous video.

Recently, Target switched to having exclusively 2-Day shipping. This is frustrating because there's no option for 7-day shipping anymore.

Hey! You have a great channel! Could you talk about palm oil industry’s effect on the environment and to our lives?

flawless vfx

I love that your whole deal is that we as individuals have the ability to make the wiser and more sustainable choices purely by controlling our own habits and actions, whereas many whome I would consider to be lazy and ignorant simply call for larger and more intrusive government regulations and controls.

To be fair, a bike helmet is not really designed to withstand damage, it's designed to absorb some of the energy and break/deform on impact so that your skull doesn't, kind of like the crumple zone of a car. So definitely important to not just throw around your helmet. Other than that great video though, and obviously 1 box would've been enough. Just discovered your channel and am really enjoying watching your content.

I have to drive past one of my town's supermarkets on my way home from work and if I'm only getting a few things I can walk into town, so I rarely drive specifically to get shopping.

In the Netherlands you would usually not go to a store by car. If I needed clothes I would go on foot, bike or train. Unless you need furniture or large electronics I would rarely go by car. Sure not everyone is like this here but I'm glad it is quite doable to do basic shopping without a car in the Netherlands in comparison to more car centric places. It makes our cities more peaceful too compared to the big cities in other countries I would say

I rarely online shop because I have access to stores that I can walk take transit to or drive to easily, and I can physically bring stuff home. I also like to see my goods and have a relationship ship with people I buy from. Online shopping makes me spend more money to be honest, and I wonder about the human impact as well as the environmental impact of rush and next day delivery. As consumers, we think of it like a courier, but those practices are soon going out the window because amazon doesn't work like that. It's very hard for their employees, and when we're happy to save $2 on an item, it's costing out society more. And the packaging is horrible... there is enough used to ship things, and then more added to ship to your house

Although online shopping is easier I mainly prefer in store experience. I just love being in a store

Always get a good laugh when watching your naive videos :D

There are some uncomfortable truths in this video, thanks for doing your part to raise awareness, thumbs up!

Too many people abuse free return options just to try stuff out when they are not sure at all what they want yet. If I go to my local post office to pick up the occasional package that was not dropped of at the door, the all too common sight is a queue of women with Zalando (mostly clothing) packages to be returned. I wish companies would monitor return behaviour of customers more and reward people who think before they buy (as this video suggests we do).

If a bike helmet gets hit hard, it could become compromised in its efficacy. The helmet works by breaking instead of your skull, absorbing the shock. Thus, it should be shipped with some care, or have a minimum of packaging to avoid hard hits that would weaken it.

Top tip- add things to your cart that you want, you probably dont need them tommorrow (maybe you're topping up supplies) then order at the end of the month. On order, more chance of a box instead of plastic packaging, and only 1 van trip!

Are things really cheaper online than from your local store. I recently bought a trackball mouse. Of course I surfed the net to check on prices. Online prices varied from $128 to $132. I rang one of the local stores and they quoted $112. I rang a second local store and they quoted $95. That's a difference of $37 from the highest quote on the internet.

This is a great video keep it up bro. Save The Earth

I sometimes buy stuff online but not from companies like amazon....because of hobbies like sword fighting for example i have to buy some stuff online because obviously there is no sword store around...but all the other stuff i buy in local shops....its completely crazy to help ruining the local shops and jobs of the people just because im too lazy to walk a few minutes

It's us, the consumer's need for constantly wanting things NOW, that has contributed to this mess. Consumerism culture :P

I avoid Amazon delivery wherever I can. order local, buy local, and plan for municipal delivery of products, if you can. ( the workers are treated fairly)

I shop online a lot. Not a prime member though and so I always go for the standard shipping but Amazon's packaging can be a bit ridiculous sometimes. Once bought a walking stick for dad which came in a box that could easily contain a standard flat tv screen and the next package bought came with an amazon slip of paper stuck to the carton of the product claiming they are trying to be more green.

There are certainly moments where expedited shipping makes sense (a replacement battery for a laptop used to conduct crucial business is one), but it's largely just consumerism at work.

I always do my shopping of food with a big bag of 60 litres for my family. And I go walk! Store ist 500 metres or more away. The walk is done in 15 Minutes.

How does shopping-related contamination compare against everyday personal-transportation or meat-related contamination?

The part about a helmet being designed to withstand damage is not entirely true. While technically correct, helmets are only designed to withstand damage once. That's why in theory you shouldn't use a helmet that fell to the floor. Because when a helmet cracks (doesn't have to be notable) it won't be able to absorb nearly as much damage as necessary when actually needed. So it is very important that a helmet is wrapped carefully, especially considering how some couriers take care of their parcels. Great video though!

this is definitely true, even in India the online service persons use bikes and cycles. in recent months there is more and more simple packaging and reasonably delivered in time. maybe the west should invest in bikes for the last mile services also in packaging solutions

was about to use my amazon prime but then i saw this..

I used to haul for Amazon, and it was not uncommon for there to be only a handful of boxes (one time there was literally only one box) in a full-sized 53' semi. For clarity, I don't mean skids or pallets, I'm literally talking about individual boxes getting shipped on a full sized 53' semi, hundreds of miles, to then be put on an airplane

Hi, I'm doing a paper on this. I'm curious about how you got to the figure that Impatient Cybernaut causes 2x more emissions. The linked research stated that it's only about 20% more.

A helmet is designed to withstand the damage _once_. Throwing the helmet around (if it's not protected during shipping) or if it falls on the floor really hard, it can damage it and it won't protect you when you actually need it.

Is this specifically applicable to the USA? I live in New Zealand so I feel that any online shipping from overseas is going to be vastly worse than if I drive ten minutes into the city to a real shop due to our remote location, but is this still not the case when utilising slow shipping options? I would be very happy if I could justify doing more online shopping, currently I avoid it because I thought that it had a higher footprint but this video is telling me this may not be the case! Thank you for any answers!

Sadly, this is an evolution that cannot be stopped. I prefer shopping at a local store, but as internet sales grow and grow, the local stores offer less and less choice because they have to concentrate on a few popular goods that are often bought. When I go to a local store, I hardly find what I am looking for, the advice often is very poor (and only aimed at selling whatever they have in store) and the after sales service is no better than when I buy from the internet. So after an unsuccessful visit to a local store, I order excactly what I need from the internet. Usually for a lower price, by the way. Don't get me wrong, I agree with the message of this video...

I chose “free shipping” and Amazon sends it to me in 2 days. There’s no need to get prime because everybody gets 2 day shipping.

That's what I have been saying :) at least locally in Latvia 🇱🇻 stuff usually is not repackaged. Most impact is done in manufacturing, material extraction and processing. We should aim for more. I know for a fact that I'll need a new laptop within 5 years. We could avoid retail packaging entirely. Even better if packaging is reusable and actually reused for its primary purpose.

It is very important to package helmets very well. if you let your helmet fell to the ground from just a meter or two, you need to replace it. Helmets are designed to absorb shocks by breaking their insulation inside. The video is still completely valid for most products, but this was definitely not the best example to use.

Good video. Let's also not forget the abuses suffered by Amazon drivers and warehouse workers. Not climate related, but it is still part of the impact.

Some products are shipped internationally even if you went to the store and bought them, though.. These are the type of products that I'd prefer to buy online for a lower price. Also, a reminder that buying local s better, but individual consumer choices won't make a dent in the emission crisis. We gotta act, but primarily in ways that affect policy

One time my family ordered a game online for our switch and I found it a little odd that a car came to our house instead of a van to deliver our package has this happened to anyone else or just me and i find it a little odd that just for my package one car came with about 10 packages in it.

amazon actually tries its best to bundle your packages together if possible. the option is there with all the other shipping options, especially on prime products. i get what you re saying with the video but the solutions you re proposing are up to the consumer or if not, have been taken by amazon. also with the trucks half full thing... traditional shipping does that too if not enough packages are there in the 1-3 days they are "collecting". this problem is also completly negated if the rise in online purchases continues, because more packages will need to be delivered at any given time. they are setting up their own delivery network, give them a minute. all the other providers in this sector are as old as time and have their systems and average user bases already in place.

you missed the point: online shopping will reduce individual commute by car in a "car centered" city design (like all over Canada and US). in a car infested city with too many aspect of city design favoring cars and car commute, doing your shopping online is a good thing. may be in European cities with better public transport and bike infrastructure online shopping makes no sense. but US and Canada are too car inflated that anything to reduce car usage (and push people toward public transport+walk+bike) is a bliss, don't forget that

If you ever do merch, "Think before you shop" would be a cool slogan, though I can see the irony of producing this kind of stuff.

No, a helmet is not designed to withstand damage. It is designed to prevent damage to your head in an accident, often destroying the helmet afterwards, which means you will have to get a new one.

watched at 1.25x speed.... a bit slow for my taste, but loved the content keep it up :)

3:53 Wow, moonwalk bike!

how does being strictly a cybernaut and using the slowest shipping option compare with using a bike/walking to shop in traditional retail spaces in terms of footprint?

More people need to watch this, more people need to be aware. Be patient. Use public transport if you can. Live a slower life for a cleaner earth. We all need to do our part, its the habits and companies that we revolve our lives around that are polluting the earth.

I stoped ordering books from Amazon, only ebook from now on

Very first thing, 3 boxes to get to the product. Even though it seems excessive protects the item, if it were broken it would have to be shipped back and then a new one shipped. That would be 3 shipping processes instead of one

A bicycle helmet like that is designed to take one good hit before replaced, unlike a bmx styled helmet that is made to take hits all day.

Online shopping is convenient, however emboldens labor exploitation, encourage wastage, and destroy localized distribution centers, relying too much on online shopping can potentially destroy the economy of societies, and environment. Also, use a bicycle and a backpack, buy only what you need in local stores, and only buy online for items which are unavailable in local distributers.

I dont have any Prime account. Wht i do is keeping filling my Amazon cart until it goes over 35 $ and then buy the goods in the slowest shipping method!

Whoa, I and everyone else very rarely goes to the store and then buy online. I don't always receive a separate box.

I would never online shop for shoes again and some other items. Sometimes they dont fit or it is not exactly what was shown and I end up having to di what I was trying to avoid, go to the store.

Holy shit this is really entertaining.

what if I wanna buy some boxes?

ONLINE SHOPPING AS AN ONLY OPTION IS NONSENSE...I PREFER TO HAVE BOTH B/M PLUS ON/L WHAT I DON'T LIKE IS NOT BEING YOUR OWN SELLER WITHOUT A MONOPOLY MANIPULATING AND PROFITEERING OFF US...THE HUGE NUMBER OF MY STORES CLOSED AND CLOSING HAS STILL NOT STOPPED ME FROM SHOPPING IN THE ONES STILL VIABLE..

Great video. Makes you think. Why don't companies use a green shopping choice at the checkout. That would be very useful and I'm sure would get used.Especially now people are waking up to the dangers of increased co2.

When I shop I shop regular shipping I like the feeling of waiting

So slow online shipping is the best option?

There is something I don't get here...why does Amazon proposes ultrafast shipping if it makes them send half full vans and stuff ? It seems like it's less rentable than sending full trucks, so what do they win here ?

I find I huge issue is that the cheapest shipping is airfrieghting from china, but I think it might use spare plane space

A traditional Store has additional carbon costs. So the logistic costs are maybe lower because of less package and more efficient stacking, but the physical store has the carbon cost of building and maintance (heating, reparations, etc.). The shop assistance is also a huge factor of carbon cost. This employee could work for a renewable energy company, but instead the workforce is wasted in an unnecessary branch of industry. In my opinion digital retail has huge potential and can help a lot. Of course there can be improvements, but we should not demonize it.