E‐Commerce: Sorting Out the Environmental Consequences

Klaus Fichter

Journal of Industrial Ecology, 2002, vol. 6, issue 2, 25-41

Abstract: The environmental effects of e‐commerce may be described in terms of first‐, second‐, and third‐order effects. Data for these effects are scarce, partly because research on environmental effects of e‐commerce and e‐business is still in its infancy, although it is evolving very rapidly. Until now, positive environmental consequences of e‐commerce have generally been coincidental. Two crucial questions that must be addressed are (1) How do we improve our understanding and management of the environmental effects of e‐commerce? and (2) Which approaches are best suited to the development of sustainable e‐solutions? Three approaches to developing sustainable e‐commerce solutions are discussed: the extension of environmental performance measurement and management to e‐commerce activities, the use of new cooperative forms of innovation management, and the provision of customer choice. Finally, an outlook on future research demands is presented. The technology itself (information and communication technologies, Internet) does not determine sustainability, but rather its design, use, and regulation does.

Date: 2002
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