Reducing greenhouse gas emissions in delivery activities in E-commerce: A literature review

E-commerce has expanded rapidly, reshaping consumer behavior and logistics systems while creating significant environmental challenges. Delivery activities, especially last-mile transport, packaging waste, and energy use in digital infrastructure, contribute notably to rising greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study reviews 174 peer-reviewed articles to examine how emissions from e-commerce logistics can be reduced. The analysis identifies five key themes. First, delivery operations and packaging are major emission sources. Second, drivers of reduction include stricter government regulations, emerging technologies, and corporate sustainability strategies. Third, adoption of green logistics faces obstacles such as high investment costs, limited infrastructure, weak regulatory frameworks, and low consumer acceptance. Fourth, government policies, including subsidies, waste management rules, and promotion of electric vehicles, play a decisive role in shaping practices. Finally, a range of mitigation solutions is highlighted, including electric and alternative vehicles, drones, parcel lockers, reusable packaging, and consumer behavior changes. By integrating bibliometric mapping with Research Focus Parallelship and Keyword Co-occurrence methods, this study consolidates fragmented knowledge and provides a clearer view of current research trends. The findings offer practical insights for policymakers, businesses, and researchers seeking to design effective and sustainable e-commerce delivery systems.