Speedy grocery deliveries come at an environmental cost

Be patient and wait a few days for your online order or join a queue in a shop – it is the British way, after all, writes Emma Henderson

Saturday 02 October 2021 00:00 BST
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<p>Convenience needn’t be the most important element of our consumer experience</p>

Convenience needn’t be the most important element of our consumer experience

We’re living in a time where panic buying seems to be a way of life, whether it’s toilet roll, pasta or fuel. Our shopping habits have undeniably changed. Our high expectations are just consumerism on steroids, and they have only worsened during the pandemic.

When getting groceries was difficult during the height of lockdowns, a gap in the market was filled with fast deliveries from the likes of Gorillas, Zapp, Weezy and Dija, to name a few. They don’t just offer dry goods, but fresh and frozen food, dairy items, pet food, cleaning products and alcohol too. Most promise what feels like an impossibly fast delivery time of just 20 minutes, and some even 10 minutes.

Of course, this new-found convenience comes at a price – but it’s not for the consumer. It comes at a cost to the environment. The idea of these fast delivery apps is to use small warehouses to store food and have deliveries made mostly by cyclists.

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