Returns Are Killing the Planet — Here’s How to Stop
Climate-Positive Shopping
🌱
Earn carbon credits on every euro you spend
Same prices as direct · 25,000+ partnered stores.
The most honest way to fix fast fashion isn’t to buy less — it’s to know what your return really costs.
Dear IMPT Family,
You’ve bought something online. It didn’t fit, the colour was wrong, or it just wasn’t what you expected. So you printed a label, packed it back up, and sent it off — probably without giving it a second thought. This happens 30 million times a year in the UK alone. And every single one of those returns has a climate bill attached.
The returns economy is built on the fiction that stuff can move both ways, twice as much as it needs to, and nothing bad happens. But the math doesn’t work. When you return something, you’re not undoing the first journey — you’re creating a second one. That’s not zero. That’s doubled.
🔥 Key Highlights 🔥
1️⃣ A single return generates 0.5–2 kg of CO₂ depending on distance and shipping method
2️⃣ 30–40% of online orders are returned in the UK and US, up from 15% just 10 years ago
3️⃣ Many returned items never resell and end up in landfill or incineration
4️⃣ Fast-fashion returns create the biggest volume — up to 50% of orders
5️⃣ Knowing your size and reading reviews cuts returns by up to 64%
6️⃣ Some retailers are charging for returns; others give you credit to keep the item
1️⃣ The Real Numbers Behind a Return
Every return involves a package moving through a logistics network — sometimes twice. A domestic return in the UK might travel 200–400 km depending on which warehouse processes it. That’s roughly 0.5 kg CO₂. An international return can be much worse. When you buy from a Chinese retailer and return it, the item might travel 10,000 km back, generating 5–10 kg of CO₂ in that single trip alone.
But here’s where it gets worse. The item arrives at a warehouse and gets sorted. Sometimes it goes back to stock. More often — especially in fast fashion — it doesn’t. Studies suggest 30–50% of returned clothing is too damaged to resell. What happens then? It gets written off. Donated to charity (shifting the problem, not solving it). Sent to discount bins. Or, worst case, sent to landfill where it decays for 200 years.
2️⃣ Why Return Rates Keep Climbing
Ten years ago, return rates hovered around 15% of online orders. Today they’re 30–40% in mature markets, and up to 50% in fast fashion. Why the leap? Faster, free delivery made returns feel consequence-free. Retailers started absorbing the cost and building it into their pricing. Clothing sizes became inconsistent. And people got used to shopping like a library — take things home, try them on, send back what doesn’t work.
The industry solved this by making returns too easy. Order three sizes of the same shirt, try them on at home, send back two. It’s convenient for you. But it’s a climate problem.
3️⃣ The Fast-Fashion Return Trap
Nowhere is this worse than in cheap fashion. An €8 shirt costs maybe €1.50 to make and ship. If it’s returned, the logistics cost (€2–3) already exceeds the profit. So retailers don’t even try to resell it. They destroy it instead, often in developing countries where environmental regulations are lighter.
This has created a perverse incentive: the cheaper the product, the more likely it is to be thrown away when returned. A €50 coat gets restocked. A €5 t-shirt gets incinerated.
4️⃣ How to Actually Reduce Your Return Footprint
The best return is the one that never happens. Here’s what cuts returns most effectively:
✔ Know your size in that specific retailer — not just your usual size, because sizing varies wildly
✔ Read every review, especially for fit — if five people say it runs small, believe them
✔ Check the return window before you buy; some retailers are tightening them
✔ Buy from retailers with sane sizing practices, not brands that use vanity sizing to boost online sales
✔ If something doesn’t fit, consider altering it rather than returning it
5️⃣ When You Do Return — Return Smarter
Sometimes returns are right. A defective product should go back. An item that genuinely doesn’t work deserves a replacement. But if you’re returning something just because you changed your mind, you’re making a choice with a climate cost.
Some retailers now offer “keep the item and we’ll credit you” — take it. Some are starting to charge for returns (€3–5 per item) to deter frivolous ones. If they offer store credit instead of a refund, take it — the item stays in stock and doesn’t get shipped.
6️⃣ What IMPT Is Doing — And What You Can Do
IMPT works with retailers that track their reverse logistics. When you buy and keep an item (or buy without returning), your purchase funds verified carbon credits. Shopping thoughtfully — fewer returns, fewer duplicates, less impulse buying — is one of the clearest ways to reduce your personal shopping footprint.
But here’s the thing: this isn’t just about you. The returns crisis is a systemic problem. It needs retailers to get smart about sizing, review transparency, and resale. It needs brands to stop building business models on easy returns. And it needs customers like you to think about what a “no questions asked” return really means.
Looking Ahead — The Future of Returns
Some retailers are starting to get it. Patagonia’s return-anything policy is built on the fact that 97% of returned items get resold. Others are investing in rental models instead of sales — you use it for a season, send it back in good condition, and that same item works for someone else. That’s the direction that makes sense.
Until then: buy once, make sure it fits, and keep what you buy. Your wallet and the planet both thank you.
Let’s keep building — together. 🌍💚
