A dropshipping eCommerce business doesn’t necessarily have a bigger carbon footprint than other online retail, so drop shipping isn’t bad for the environment. In fact, the dropshipping model could have environmental benefits by reducing waste since sellers only purchase inventory they know they can sell. For instance, suppose 10 online retailers market the same SKU. In the traditional eCommerce business model, each of them orders 100 units of that SKU and, on average, has 20 units left over at the end of the season. That item goes out of fashion and 200 units end up in the landfill. In the dropshipping model, each online retailer would only order what they sold and, if the manufacturer manages inventory well, fewer units will get trashed at the end of the season. On the other hand, packaging can be a significant source of eCommerce waste. Since you have little or no control over how your products are packed and shipped, dropshipping could appear less environmentally conscious. Work with your dropshipping suppliers to ensure that they follow best practices for sustainable packaging.