Online shoppers buying eco-friendly products 2021, by country

In 2021, online shoppers in Vietnam showed the highest environmental awareness compared to 25 other countries worldwide. According to a global survey, 72 percent of online shoppers living in this Southeast Asian country reported very often or always buying eco-friendly products. India ranked second, with 69 percent of online shoppers registering this purchasing habit, while the Philippines and China followed with 60 percent each.

Sustainable e-commerce on the rise

As global concern about the environment becomes more prevalent in media, consumers now expect brands to disclose if and how sustainable their business practices are. Among global consumers, 16 percent believe that one of the main obstacles to e-commerce is that it is bad for the environment. However, online retailers are trying to change this opinion. If not already engaged in such efforts, several e-commerce companies are beginning to invest in different sustainability initiatives globally. For example, over 45 percent of brands reported they would invest in more easily recyclable products throughout 2022.

Reduce, reuse, resale

In 2022, the worldwide market value of secondhand apparel was estimated at 119 billion U.S. dollars, and this figure is set to rise in the next years. In the United States, the online resale market is expected to grow at much faster rates than the offline channel this decade. These figures, as well as more and more brands paying attention to ethical consumerism and sustainability, attest to a foreseeably permanent spot for second-hand in the future of e-commerce.