Black Friday online shopping is predicted to generate 897,452 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions through deliveries in London, making the 2021 occasion the most polluting ever.

With two-thirds of all Londoners (69 per cent*) expected to take part in Black Friday shopping this year, and 75 per cent of those choosing to shop online, the city will see approximately 4,877,760 purchases made for delivery. British emission-free transport platform XeroE (xeroe.co.uk), who created an emissions calculator with Imperial College London, has determined the carbon footprint of these deliveries as 897,452 CO2 emissions and 2,755,447 NOx emissions. This equates to 861,537 tonnes of coal being burnt, and 16,259 days of human life lost by the air quality from fumes in the capital. Through the XeroE Emissions Calculator, it is estimated that if these deliveries were made through a zero-emission alternative, this would save 738,728 kilograms of CO2 fumes from London’s atmosphere.

Just weeks ago, the UK Government laid out their strategy for Net Zero emissions by 2050 and restated their pledge at COP26 to cut carbon emissions by 78 per cent by 2035 (compared to that of 1990).

Whilst reports find that only one-in-ten shoppers consider carbon-friendly delivery in their online shopping decisions, it is clear that this year, more than ever, we must look to more environmentally friendly options when purchasing discounted goods. With the onus being both on the eCommerce retailer as well as the end customer.

XeroE currently operates emission-free deliveries in London, Bristol, Bath and Manchester, with planned expansions into four new cities in Q1 of 2022. This year alone, XeroE has helped its partners achieve an average 82 per cent saving in CO2 emissions through 264,130 carbon-neutral deliveries, using a mix of electric vehicles and bikes. This year so far XeroE have saved a staggering 751 days of human life as a result of the reductions in air pollution from their deliveries.

The XeroE Emissions Calculator is available for free online to calculate the emissions deliveries and can be found here https://calculator.xeroe.co.uk/.