The research, conducted by Development Economics, suggests that in the past year online fashion retailers distributed 941m plastic carriers to consumers in the UK, translating to roughly 2.6m carriers each day.
This trend underscores a growing divide between brick-and-mortar retailers and their online counterparts in the shift away from plastic carrier usage.
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Since the implementation of a levy on plastic bags in the UK in 2015, traditional retail has seen a 98% reduction in their usage.
However, as consumer behaviour has increasingly favoured online shopping, the consumption of plastic bags within the ecommerce sector has risen.
Projections suggest that if current trends continue, there will be a 40% increase in the number of bags used by 2030, coinciding with the anticipated growth in online fashion sales.
This could result in 1.3bn billion plastic delivery bags being sent to UK households annually within the next decade, accumulating to approximately 6.9bn bags over five years.
Recycling rates for these bags remain low with only 9% of fashion ecommerce bags being reused or recycled in the UK. Consequently, 91% are destined for landfills or incineration.
Last year saw 857m bags disposed of in such a manner. If these patterns persist, the analysis suggests that by 2030 more than 1bn plastic bags per year could be contributing to environmental pollution through landfill accumulation or burning.
DS Smith packaging divisional CEO Stefano Rossi said: “With some of the biggest brands in the world, we estimate that we’ve already replaced more than 1bn pieces of plastic over the last four years – but we must do more.
“While online shopping has grown, ecommerce retailers lag high-street stores when it comes to replacing plastic bags.”
Several digital fashion retailers have transitioned to more sustainable packaging solutions, says the study. For instance, Zalando, an European e-commerce platform specialising in fashion and lifestyle products, adopted paper shipping bags that incorporate recycled materials and fibres certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in place of traditional plastic packaging in 2020.
The response from its consumer base has been positive regarding this change. Since adopting recycled content and FSC-certified virgin fibre paper bags in 2020, Zalando has seen customer satisfaction with its packaging jump by 16 percentage points (pps) year over year.
Zalando logistics sustainability and packaging director David Fischer said: “Switching from plastic to paper shipping bags has been a game-changer. The high acceptance rate makes us confident that we are on the right track with paper bags that are easy to recycle in the vast majority of Europe.”
Rossi added: “Brands like Zalando have proved change is possible, but there is a blocker; there simply aren’t enough paper alternatives available and our industry needs to step up to provide them.
“It will be tempting for businesses to fixate on price, but sticking with plastic comes at a cost – consumers don’t want it, and brands risk their reputation by ignoring that. We think legislation can and should be more demanding of us all – phasing out certain plastics to help create a level playing field that encourages innovation, investment, and generates healthy competition to replace plastic.”
Growing public support for recyclable materials
The study also reveals strong public support for more recyclable materials. The survey, which gathered responses from a panel of 2,000 consumers across the UK and was conducted between 19 to 24 February 2025 found 67% of Brits favour phasing out plastic bags when replacements exist, and 60% prefer receiving orders wrapped in cardboard or paper.
The sentiment among UK shoppers is one of responsibility and preference; half express guilt over plastic use and believe retailers (51%), packaging companies (44%), and government (24%) should lead the charge in reducing plastics.
Nearly half (46%) would likely patronise fashion retailers that use recyclable packaging.
In November last year, UK online retailer N Brown, introduced dissolvable packaging for its own-label garment products and other retailers were encouraged to follow suit.
