Dr. Sreedevi Rajagopalan, a research scientist at the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics, was featured in a recent article examining the environmental impact of fast shipping and last-mile delivery. Rajagopalan explained how demand for next-day and same-day delivery disrupts efficient routing, leading to half-empty trucks, repeated trips through the same neighborhoods, and increased reliance on carbon-intensive air freight. Drawing on her research, she noted that fast shipping can increase emissions by 10–12% and highlighted how even short delivery delays can significantly reduce carbon output. Rajagopalan also discussed how consumer education and order consolidation can play a key role in lowering emissions without sacrificing convenience.
When customers choose faster shipping and earlier delivery dates, the system shifts from optimized routing to whatever gets the package out fastest, and that means higher emissions.
Read the article on the Associated Press