The True Cost of Free Shipping and Returns

There's no such thing as free ... not even two day shipping from Amazon. Today we're discussing a consumer norm we very often forget has environmental and supply chain impacts: free shipping and free returns. We discuss the immediate emissions and packaging waste, of course, but also textile waste - where do our return things truly go?

Resources:

• TEDTalk by Arana Mehta, "Where do your online returns go?"
• Why ‘free’ shipping isn’t free (CNBC)
• Why your online returns may end up in landfill—and what can be done to fix it (Fast Company)
• The unsustainable cost of free returns (Vogue Business)
• Why fashion brands destroy billions’ worth of their own merchandise every year (Vox)

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