Building a Greener E-Commerce Future: What We Learned from Mapping the Stakeholder Ecosystem

Online shopping may appear simple from a consumer’s perspective—a click, a confirmation, and a delivery at the door—but behind that smooth experience lies an enormous network of people, companies, technologies, and public authorities, each influencing what happens along the way.

GreenTurn’s mission is to make e-commerce logistics cleaner, fairer, and smarter. To do so, the project started with a crucial first step: truly trying to understand what a click in the online shop triggers in the background by by mapping the entire e-commerce ecosystem and looking beyond the obvious players. This includes tracing every link in the chain from the moment a customer places an order to the transport, storage, and decision-making processes that determine how and when a parcel arrives. The project examined who the key actors are, how they interact, what they need to operate efficiently, which barriers stand in their way, and where sustainability challenges accumulate.

It’s all connected

What quickly became clear is that e-commerce logistics is not a straight line but a living, interconnected system. Retailers depend on manufacturers for reliable products; warehouses depend on good forecasting to avoid congestion; transport providers depend on predictable order volumes to keep operations efficient; and all of this is shaped by financial service providers, technology plat forms, marketing agencies, and customer expectations.

At the heart of the system lies the Core Value Chain, which consists of the primary actors driving every transaction. This group includes manufacturers, who produce the goods, and retailers, such as online shops, that bridge the gap to the end consumer by managing orders and inventory. Logistics service providers act as the backbone of the operation, by managing warehousing and critical last-mile delivery ensuring goods move efficiently from seller to user. Finally, financial institutions serve as pivotal back-end providers, facilitating secure digital wallets and other payment solutions that keep the supply chain running smoothly.

The second group comprises Operational Support stakeholders with indirect or occasional involvement. This includes technology providers that supply the platforms and software necessary for tracking, alongside packaging suppliers who ensure product safety during transit. It also encompasses specialised intermediaries like freight forwarders and customs brokers who navigate complex shipping requirements, as well as marketing agencies that drive the brand visibility and consumer engagement necessary for sales. Additionally, customer service providers manage the vital human element of the chain by handling inquiries, complaints, and the increasingly complex logistics of returns.

Beyond the daily movement of parcels, the Public, Regulatory, and Advocacy groups shape the long-term environment of the industry. Local authorities and regulatory bodies wield significant power to influence logistics through urban mobility plans, low-emission zones, and consumer rights enforcement. Meanwhile, academic institutions and environmental agencies provide the research and benchmarks necessary for innovation, which in turn influence the decisions of investors providing capital for green transitions. This ecosystem is further balanced by NGOs and trade unions, who advocate for ethical practices, fair working conditions, and social responsibility to ensure that the transition to smarter logistics is equitable for everyone involve.

Cities add an additional layer of complexity. They are where the impacts of e-commerce are most visible: rising delivery traffic, growing pressure on public space, noise, emissions, and the growing challenge of handling returns. At the same time, cities are powerful changemakers. Through urban mobility plans, low-emission zones, parking regulations, or micro-hub strategies, they can influence how goods move and encourage more sustainable options.

Where the system feels the strain

Another important insight is that sustainability challenges rarely arise from a single actor. They emerge at the intersections: fast delivery expectations colliding with environmental goals; thin logistics margins limiting investment in cleaner technologies; and growing return volumes straining both transport networks and waste systems. Understanding these tensions is essential for designing realistic and effective solutions.

The mapping of involved actors also sheds light on the business models that shape e-commerce today. Online marketplaces dominate the landscape, influencing how responsibilities are divided, how logistics are handled, and how consumers experience choice and convenience. Other models—such as direct-to-consumer shops, community-based platforms, or auctions—play smaller but important roles, each with its own implications for logistics flows and sustainability. These models also determine who carries responsibility for delivery performance and environmental impact, making them crucial for designing future interventions.

From understanding to action

Every actor in the e-commerce ecosystem operates under a mix of environmental, social, and economic pressures. These dimensions overlap and often pull in different directions.

When it comes to environmental needs, many stakeholders want to reduce emissions and waste by investing in cleaner vehicles, greener warehousing, and more sustainable packaging. However, high upfront costs, limited charging infrastructure, and the ongoing demand for ever-faster deliveries make this transition challenging.

On the social front, expectations are rising. Companies are increasingly judged on fair working conditions, safety standards, inclusivity, and how their operations affect local communities. Efficiency pressures and growing automation, however, complicate efforts to protect worker well-being.

From an economic perspective, the sector faces thin margins, intense competition, and highly fluctuating demand. Staying resilient requires accurate forecasting, efficient systems, reliable data, and strong partnerships. At the same time, rising fuel costs, limited warehouse space, and necessary investments in new technologies add financial strain.

Together, these pressures show why sustainability in e-commerce logistics cannot be achieved by any single actor alone.

By bringing all these elements together, GreenTurn created the first comprehensive picture of the ecosystem it plans to transform. This is more than a theoretical exercise—it is the foundation for everything that follows. With a clear view of the players, their interactions, their needs, and the structural barriers they face, the project can now design solutions that fit reality rather than idealised assumptions.

This mapping forms the backbone for the five pilot sites—Poznań, Lyon, Athens, Vienna, and Zaragoza—where GreenTurn will co-create and test new delivery and return options. Each city has its own logistics culture, regulatory environment, and urban form, meaning that solutions must be tailored, not copied.

The big picture

In short, the stakeholder mapping provides the clarity GreenTurn needs to move from understanding the system to improving it. With a shared picture of who is involved, how they interact, and where the biggest opportunities lie, the next steps—behavioural research, prototyping, and real-world testing—can build on a solid foundation.

Because e-commerce logistics is so deeply interconnected, meaningful change can only happen when the entire ecosystem is considered. Zero-emission deliveries, fair working conditions, and affordable services depend on coordinated action across retailers, logistics providers, manufacturers, platforms, cities, and many others.

A more detailed overview of the stakeholder ecosystem is provided in Deliverable D2.1 Mapping of the Stakeholder Ecosystem.