The ever-evolving logistics sector continues to thrive due in no small part to e-commerce, and the sector is taking a leadership position in the ongoing greening of commercial real estate, also due in no small part to e-commerce. Prologis’ new research report, Logistics Real Estate and E-commerce Create Sustainability Advantages, tells the story.

Prologis points to research from such entities as MIT and GRESB that concludes that e-commerce is more sustainable than the conventional brick-and-mortar retail method, with transportation being the central factor. Transportation is the largest source of emissions for the U.S., and e-commerce decreases transportation requirements through consolidated delivery. According to academic studies, the transportation element of e-commerce’s impact on the environment is less than 50 percent that of in-store shopping.