It’s no secret that returns create an extraordinary amount of waste. While the financial cost is significant - $500 billion annually - returns also devastate the planet. To start, a substantial chunk of returned items get tossed in landfills creating approximately 5 billion pounds of unnecessary trash, and that’s in an average year. 2020 saw the number of returns double due to the rapid increase in the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-fueled online shopping. Despite the vaccine and the reopening of businesses with optional mask policies, most consumers say they will stick with their new online shopping habits. So, where do we go from here?
