Characterizing the generation and spatial patterns of carbon emissions from urban express delivery service in China

Abstract

Express delivery services, as an indispensable part of our daily life, have grown rapidly because of the booming e-commerce and logistics industries. Accordingly, there is increasing concern about the environmental load from delivering letters and parcels, such as road freight transportation emissions and packaging waste, which have not been seriously considered in previous work. In this study, a spatially based dynamic model has been created to quantify the impacts (measured in carbon emissions, CO2eq.) from the express delivery sector in China. Specifically, intracity (urban) express delivery services—delivery and pick-up services located within the same city—was chosen for analysis. The results indicated that the carbon emissions from the transportation phase of the express delivery sector in Chinese cities varied from 20 t to 4000 t in 2017, of which 18% was attributable to the weight of extra packaging materials. Carbon emission intensities for all cities showed a close relationship with their socioeconomic status. For example, the spatial pattern of intracity express delivery volumes and associated carbon emissions showed a significant clustering property: high-value cities were clustered in eastern China and low-value cities in western China. Furthermore, the carbon hotspots were mainly located in the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta urban agglomerations. Overall, our research method and preliminary findings could be helpful for the green development of the booming express delivery sector in China and beyond.