Carbon saved by opting for home delivery
Supermarkets dominate most of our choices as to how and where we spend our cash. Big chain supermarkets have become a one-stop-shop for weekly essentials, dry-cleaning, clothes, electronic goods and a host of other services. It is estimated that £1 in every £7 is spent in Tesco in the UK
, whilst Walmart in the US is the world's largest retailer
.Independent shops have suffered hugely at the hands of supermarket expansion. In 2005, 2157 small shops closed in the UK compared with half this number in the previous year.
We spend an astronomical £76 billion on food every year, and 80% of this is in supermarkets.
Many stores have moved to larger premises, further out-of-town, meaning people are having to travel even further to do their weekly shop. According to a Department of Transport shopping study,
the average distance of a one-way food shopping trip is now 3.1 miles, with people living in rural areas having to travel further at 5.8 miles. In addition nearly 80% of all food trips are made by car (76% personal vehicles, 3% taxis), and the average person will make 105 shopping trips per year. All these car journeys amount to huge volumes of CO2; having food delivered instead would save a substantial chunk of emissions as vans can make around 20 to 30 deliveries a day in the local area.
Let's work out the amount of carbon saved by having your groceries delivered.
Distance of an average one-way shopping trip is 3.1 miles
, so a round trip will be 6.2 miles.
According to Defra figures
, the carbon emission of an average car of unknown fuel is 0.208 kg CO2 per km.
A 6.2 mile journey in km = 6.2 x 1.61 = 9.982 km
So CO2 emitted during one shopping trip will be:
9.982 km x 0.208 kg CO2/km = 2.08 kg CO2 per shopping trip.
If we compare the emissions of a delivery van:
A delivery van will make between 25 to 40 deliveries a day within a radius of 6 to 10 miles.
If we assume the number of deliveries to be 30 per day, and the van covers an average of 50 km over this period, this is equivalent to 1.67 km per delivery.
Emissions of an average large diesel engine are 0.264 kg CO2 per km
So CO2 emitted for one delivery would be:
1.67 km x 0.264 kg CO2/km = 0.44 kg CO2 per delivery.
So CO2 saved by home delivery is:
2.08 kg - 0.44 kg = 1.64 kg = 1.64 kg CO2 per trip.
Supermarket deliveries
Three of the 'Big Four' supermarkets - Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's, as well as Waitrose (Ocado) offer delivery services for groceries.
Tesco
http://www.tesco.com
Asda
http://www.asda.co.uk
Sainsbury's
http://www.sainsburys.com/
Waitrose
https://www.waitrosedeliver.com/wdeliver/app/shop?source=32125
http://www.ocado.com/webshop/startWebshop.do?affiliate=waitrose3
For a comparison of delivery charges, with links to all sites:
http://onlinegrocerystore.co.uk/online-supermarket-deliveries.htm
The site allows you to compare prices as well as place orders and book delivery slots.
http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/FirstTimeHome.asp
Box Schemes
Even better than getting the supermarket to deliver your fruit and veg is enrolling in a local box scheme. Local, seasonal produce can be delivered to your door, and eliminates the many km and transport emissions associated with supermarkets' central distribution systems. Have a look at these:
http://www.allthingseco.co.uk/directoryresults.php?category_id=54&
http://www.riverford.co.uk/find/index.php\\
