1. Dossier File 8: E-commerce Is it an advantage or not?

2. Paragraph 1 – key points On the surface, e-commerce appears to offer a big environmental bonus by eliminating thousands of trips to a shopping center This is by ordering on line and delivering straight to your door.

3. Paragraph 2 – key points However every book ordered for example from Amazon is heavily packaged and travels on an expensive transportation network. Too many packaging boxes are used. This could have a negative impact on the environment

4. Paragraph 3 – key points An increase in packaging and shipping by air results in more air pollution. Office paper has doubled since the widespread use of computers. So these could all impact negatively on the environment.

5. Paragraph 4 – key points E-commerce may boost consumption without having a positive effect on the environment. Therefore ways to reach sustainability have to be found.

6. Paragraph 5 – key points E-commerce has reduced energy and greenhouse emissions. Business-to-business e-commerce promises greater energy savings by reducing inventories, overproduction and paper transactions.