Reducing Resource Expenditure for the Procurement of Household Goods
In order to support our lives, individuals and households need to procure goods, from food over clothes and books to consumer goods, from essential to nice to have things. Reducing the number of goods would be the easiest way to reduce global energy and resource expenditure along with reducing the energy footprint of the items themselves. However, for all the things we do need (or want) to purchase in order to maintain our living standard, procurement could be made more energy efficient depending on the type of products. Roughly speaking, there are several distinct classes of products and ways to procure them:
- products we want to buy any instance of,
- products we want to touch but buy a copy of,
- products we want to see and buy the very item.
From a system optimisation perspective, products need to be routed from source (place of production) to destination (place of consumption) in the most energy efficient and timely fashion avoiding too many hops (and middlemen) between source and destination. The total efficiency will be influenced by the number and distribution, i.e. geographic density, of both production locations and destinations, and the accumulated path for all items combined.
In the following I would like to present my very abstract thoughts on energy optimal ways of procurement of household items and their consequences, but focus mostly on the middle part, the browse for one — buy a copy class.
Buying any instances of known items
As for the first type, there are item classes for which we do not need to see or touch the concrete item before we buy them; an image, a description or knowledge of the brand is sufficient, e.g. a pack of pasta, soft drinks, printer cartridge, etc., i.e. mostly repeat purchases. Any instance will do as it was made in a factory to specifications. All those we can order online relying on an efficient logistics system to route the item from source to our home in a energy efficient manner, perhaps in due course using autonomous delivery systems and vehicles.
While most households used to spend quite some time on the procurement of these item classes, usually a repeated shopping list, the recent pandemic has shown that shopping in this way is not necessary, nor energy efficient and not desirable. Here in the UK, most online delivery services were overwhelmed. Consequently, post-pandemic, there is an opportunity that the majority of goods could be purchased and distributed this way, requiring fewer general purpose shops, but more delivery services and warehouses.
Buying exactly the instance you identify
On the opposite side of the spectrum, there are item classes you need to see the concrete item you want to buy, like a piece of cake in a pastry shop; you want to see the fruit and vegetable to assess their freshness, you want to smell a melon to gauge its ripeness, you may want to touch a French cheese to see its state of maturity. The product classes extend to many areas where an extensive product description, images and videos are not quite enough.
Since quite a lot of produces in this item class are food, it would make sense to me to bring production, shops as intermediary and consumption closer together. This is possible through urban vertical farming, or more local stores, small grocery stores for all these little things that cannot be easily purchased online because you want to see what you are buying. Perhaps we need again local shops, bakeries, butchers, all in walking or cycling distance.
Browsing one instance, buying another
Between the two item classes above, there are item classes where you would like to look at various instances, see or even try them, but then wish to buy a copy of the “show” instance you identified. This applies to books, clothes, shoes, quite a few consumer goods, a wide variety of products.
A friend once drew my attention to a 19th century science fiction book entitled “Looking Backward — From 2000 to 1887” by Edward Bellamy. Apart other predictions, the author describes that in the future there will be shops, “sample stores”, which only keep one instance of every item on the premises. As a customer, you would try an item, e.g. shoes, or browse single instances of books. Then you would “conceptually” buy the book in the store, and, by the time you get home, a copy would already be waiting for you.
“All our stores are sample stores, except as to a few classes of articles. The goods, with these exceptions, are all at the great central warehouse of the city, to which they are shipped directly from the producers. We order from the sample and the printed statement of texture, make, and qualities. The orders are sent to the warehouse, and the goods distributed from there.”
That sounds like am efficient combination or collaboration of Amazon (or any other online shopping platform) and traditional shops.
If we admit it, isn’t it quite often that one browses in a book shop, but when it comes to buying the book you have been studying for a while (perhaps left even some marks on), we quite like to have an unopened, pristine copy to take home. That would be possible using the aforementioned approach. As a side effect, since the shop never gives away the presentation copy, you won’t hear: “Sorry, we do not have the item in your size, but we can back-order.” Usually you would say, no thanks, go home and order online (at the loss of the shop which will eventually go out of business). Bellamy’s futuristic system is based on efficient and fast back-order involving the shops as “shop fronts”.
As an additional benefit in energetic terms, this system avoids that goods are shipped to shops (transport energy) who need to keep stock (space and resource), and then the goods are transported back to one’s home. The shop only serves as an interface that allows people to see and touch things before committing to them. You always get a pristine item home, from source to destination in a logistically effective way with an acceptable delay; to be honest how many goods do you really need instantly? The delay can be anticipated, or shortened with delivery price according to a quality of service. In either case, you do not even to carry or drive all your shopping home but can go to town by bike; no need to drive to town with a car, let alone an SUV.
Imagine how much space could be freed up in stores. The competitive advantage of one shop keeper over another could be in the service provided. In contrast to traditional shopping, you would use your Amazon credentials in the shop to order. And one would hope that the cooperation between shops and Amazon would compensate shops with a commission. Shops and Amazon cooperate, allowing shops to remain in business. There is potential in this symbiosis for the high street, no need to deplore the demise of the city centre. Certainly, there will be smaller shops and perhaps fewer, but the reclaimed space can be used for other purposes such as cafés, communities or flats.
This story is referenced in its parent post where it started as a section:
