Buy by email, return by habit: the progress of digital commerce and the setback of a use-once-and-throw-away culture

The growing volume of returns in e-commerce has become a logistical and financial headache for Spain and Europe, affecting consumers, network operators and warehouse owners.
This challenge, far from being a simple operational inconvenience, threatens the profitability and sustainability of the entire sector.
In Spain, the cost of online returns reached €13.3 billion in 2025, with a return rate of 23.7% for non-food orders – one of the highest in Europe.

Behind these figures lie practices such as bracketing, where one in four consumers buys several sizes or colours with the intention of returning most of them – a figure that rises to 35% among Generation Z.

For consumers, the convenience of trying on clothes at home has a hidden environmental cost: each return generates CO₂ emissions from transport and packaging, and many garments end up in landfills because reconditioning is not profitable.

Furthermore, 22% of young Spaniards admit to practising wardrobing – buying clothes for a specific event and returning them afterwards – which shows a change in habits that redefines the concept of responsible purchasing.

For network operators and courier companies, reverse logistics is a constant headache.
During campaigns such as Black Friday or the sales, return volumes soar by up to 40% in sectors such as fashion, completely disrupting their usual operations.
Francisco Aranda, president of UNO Logística, explains that this reverse flow “generates significant economic costs, storage problems and a greater environmental impact”.

Operators are increasingly forced to outsource their return processes, with 65% of companies resorting to third parties, which raises costs and complicates traceability.
Giants such as Amazon have already begun penalising sellers with high return rates – a measure that anticipates a future where efficiency in reverse logistics will be key to survival.

Warehouse owners, for their part, face growing pressure to adapt their facilities to the new reality.
Processing a return requires approximately 20% more logistical space than shipping a new product, forcing them to have flexible centres well located near urban hubs. This increase in demand has pushed prime logistics rents up by 30% worldwide since 2020.

Moreover, the reconditioning process – inspection, cleaning, ironing, repackaging – consumes resources and time, and when it is not profitable, many returns end up being destroyed, contradicting the principles of the circular economy and exposing companies to regulatory sanctions.

Faced with this scenario, the sector is looking for technological and sustainable solutions. Artificial intelligence and big data make it possible to predict consumer behaviour and offer more accurate size recommendations, thereby reducing returns.
At the same time, large retailers such as Inditex, H&M and El Corte Inglés have begun charging for home returns, encouraging the use of drop‑off points and physical stores as more sustainable alternatives.

The challenge, therefore, is not only economic but also cultural: to educate consumers about the true cost of returns and to encourage more conscious purchasing. Only then will it be possible to balance the convenience of e‑commerce with the sustainability of the entire ecosystem.