Efficient goods distribution is key to the success of e-commerce and can even be a means for retailers to stay ahead of competition. However, e-commerce distribution also has a negative environmental impact. In fact, e-commerce distribution is often the most inefficient and the least environmentally sustainable part of the supply chain (Gevaers et al., 2014; Mangiaracina et al., 2015). Given the rate of e-commerce growth, measures need to be taken to reduce the environmental impact from e-commerce distribution. 

Retailers are under pressure to act sustainably and are even suggested to have a responsibility to support consumers in behaving more sustainably (Wiese et al., 2015). Consumers are also vital to the challenge of improving environmental sustainability of e-commerce distribution (Buldeo Rai et al., 2019). They are often given a number of delivery options to choose from, and their choices affect the environmental impact. For example, consumers that are willing to wait a few extra days for their ordered products create better conditions for logistics service providers (LSPs), on which many retailers rely to execute the distribution of sold goods, to increase fill-rates of their vehicles and thereby decrease the environmental impact. For consumers to be able to make more environmentally sound choices of distribution, they need guidance when choosing delivery options. Providing such guidance constitutes a large challenge for retailers, as the most environmentally sustainable choice is far from intuitive (e.g. van Loon et al., 2015). In fact, retailers are largely dependent on other actors to succeed. For example, LSPs have the expertise related to the environmental effects of their logistics operations. As a retailer, taking on the challenge of offering green delivery options is often more complex than it would seem at first hand, since LSPs and retailers need to coordinate their respective networks and efforts. This paper takes an interaction perspective of this challenge, as a means to expand the understanding of the actors that need to be involved for green delivery options as presented to consumers. The purpose of the paper is to increase the understanding of how retailers can facilitate green delivery options for consumers through interaction with other actors.

A literature review of green logistics literature serves as a point of departure as to what can constitute a green delivery option for consumers. Empirically, the paper is based on a single case study of a Swedish retailer with both physical stores and an online sales channel. The case company was selected due to its high ambition and determination to be able to offer green delivery options to consumers. Data was gathered through meetings, semi-structured interviews and documents provided by the company.

Early results suggest that retailers need to interact with a number of actors to be able to offer green delivery options for consumers. In order for the green delivery options to be trustworthy, the retailer needs to have an understanding of the environmental impact of their different distribution alternatives. To gain such knowledge, interaction with their contracted LSPs is necessary, as they have the knowledge of the environmental impact of their operations in different contexts. Interestingly, the studied retailer also had close interaction with a consulting firm, whose role was to secure the quality of the LSPs’ data and to compare the delivery options in terms of environmental impact. When a retailer has an overview of the environmental impact of different delivery options, this knowledge needs to be transferred into green delivery options that are understandable and accessible for consumers. As retailers often rely on other actors to provide platforms though which consumers make their choice of delivery, interaction with such companies can be vital. In the studied case, the interaction between the retailer and the platform developer, combined with extensive internal interaction on the retailer’s part, lead to a website presentation of the green delivery options for consumers. Finally, interaction with consumers is of importance for retailers to understand how consumers react to the green delivery options.

The findings suggest that for retailers to be able to offer green delivery options for consumers, a larger number of actors need to be involved than what has been suggested in previous literature, in which retailers, LSPs and consumers are commonly mentioned. Furthermore, LSPs may have a surprisingly peripheral role in the development of the green aspect of the service offering compared to what earlier research has suggested. By studying green distribution in relation to consumer offerings, this paper helps bridge the gap between the two research fields green logistics and e-commerce. In terms of practical implications, this study can be used by retailers to better understand how they can proceed in order to offer green delivery options to consumers.