Shop 'till we drop: Historical and policy analysis of driving-for-shopping and freight energy use in the U.S.

Panel: 4. Transport and mobility: How to deliver energy efficiency

This is a peer-reviewed paper.

Authors:
Laura Schewel, UC Berkeley Energy and Resources Group, USA
Lee Schipper, UC Berkeley Global Metropolitan Studies, USA

Abstract

Previous literature has established that energy use from the U.S. and global freight sector are increasing both in intensity and absolute terms. Most analyses of freight energy draw their boundary at the retail outlet; however, most goods keeps moving until they reach the consumer's home or place of business. In the U.S., "last mile" transport or driving-for-shopping has increased over three-fold per household since 1970, faster than any other driving function, and now exceeds miles and trips to and from work, according to recent household travel surveys. Moving the boundary of analysis for goods movement from the retail outlet to the home or business of the consumer leads to different implications for relevant greenhouse gas emissions and policies. Moving this boundary is important to more accurately capture the impact of material consumption on the environment, and to properly analyze the impact of new goods delivery modes, such as the rise of on-line shopping, grocery delivery, and others.

This paper analyzes the history of energy use from the combined freight and shopping system for the past 40 years in the U.S., and decomposes the data to established key drivers. The major drivers of the increase were: increase in shopping trips per household and miles per trip, increased tonnage in the freight sector, and increased distance for freight. The paper also explores the rise of on-line shopping and other alternative modes of goods delivery. Drawing on this analysis, the authors then present policy recommendations that can slow or reverse these upwards trends by implementing system changes to increase the efficiency of the goods movement sector.