Just 15% of Shoppers Cause 60% of E-Commerce Return Emissions

A new study from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) reveals that a small group of online shoppers — so-called “serial returners” — is responsible for a disproportionate share of the environmental damage caused by e-commerce returns. According to the research, just 15% of consumers who return more than half of what they order account for nearly 60% of all CO₂ emissions linked to product returns.

The study, led by Prof. Heleen Buldeo Rai, an expert in sustainable logistics at the VUB’s Mobilise research group, analyzed the behavior of nearly 10,000 online consumers across ten European countries: Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Poland, and Greece.

The Scale of the Problem

Serial returners send back an average of 15 products per year, compared to just two per year for other consumers. This behavior carries a significant environmental cost: a frequent returner emits approximately 20 kilograms of CO₂ annually from returns alone, while occasional returners emit only about three kilograms.

“Returns represent much more than a logistical cost,” Buldeo Rai told RTBF. “They also have a significant environmental impact. Yet we know surprisingly little about consumers who return products most often.”

Who Are the Serial Returners?

The research paints a clear demographic picture. Serial returners tend to be younger, more likely to live in urban areas, and have a lower level of education on average. Germany has the highest proportion of frequent returners, likely because German online retailers like Zalando have long offered free and easy return policies — the so-called “fitting room at home” concept.

Interestingly, frequent returners do not necessarily buy more online than other consumers. Their distinguishing trait is their attitude toward returns as a natural part of the shopping process. “For these consumers, returns have become a way to postpone purchase decisions,” Buldeo Rai explained. “They order more impulsively, are more likely to buy several options at once, and only decide at home what they ultimately want to keep.”

Convenience as a Driver

The study found that convenience is a decisive factor. Consumers tempted by easy, fast, and free returns are nearly three times more likely to become frequent returners. As VRT NWS reported, the ease of returns has normalized the practice of ordering without commitment.

Cécile Fisset, manager of the Wolu Press bookstore in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, noted that major brands are complicit in this trend. “With Amazon or Zalando, QR codes and return labels are already pre-printed in the customer’s order,” she told RTBF. “So we have more and more returns because brands make in-store returns easier.”

Toward Solutions

The study’s authors argue that the responsibility does not lie solely with consumers. “Many online stores have encouraged returns for years because they increase sales,” Buldeo Rai said. “But if we want to reduce the environmental impact, we need to better help consumers make the right choice immediately.”

Greet DeKocker, director of Becom, the Belgian e-commerce federation, suggested that merchants may need to charge return fees for excessive returners. “At some point, the merchant must be able to charge return fees to prevent excessive returns,” she told RTBF.

VUB researcher Kathleen Cauwelier proposed a targeted approach: “Online stores could, for example, apply return fees to serial returners while regular consumers could keep free returns.”

The researchers call for better product information, greater use of digital tools such as virtual fitting rooms and size recommendation systems, and a critical examination of sales techniques that encourage impulse buying. They also emphasize the role of policymakers in informing consumers about the consequences of returns and establishing clear rules for cross-border e-commerce.

What’s Next

The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Transportation Research Part D: Transport and the Environment, adds academic weight to ongoing policy discussions in Belgium and the European Union about the environmental impact of e-commerce logistics. As FashionUnited noted, the findings suggest that blanket policies — such as charging all consumers for returns — may be less effective than targeted approaches focusing on the 15% of serial returners.

“If we want to reduce returns, we need to understand why people return products,” Buldeo Rai concluded. “Smart solutions that help consumers make the right choice from the first purchase seem most promising.”