The implications of the e-commerce boom, first results from TeamHub
The report on the first phase of the research for the project TeamHub! – Delivering sustainability to the e-commerce supply chain” is available online.
Co-funded by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs, and Inclusion and co-managed by Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini, the project started in October 2022. It was designed to analyse the challenges of e-commerce in Europe from a social and environmental perspective, in the light of its boom during the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing green and digital transition.
The report, drafted by the Social Justice Unit of Fondazione Brodolini, provides a comparative analysis based on the contributions from the nine countries involved (Belgium, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Spain) and illustrates trends and dynamics within the e-commerce supply chain within the EU, focusing on business organisation and working conditions. The main purpose of the study is to highlight the issues that deserve more attention from policy-makers and trade unions at national and European level.
Beginning with an introductory chapter, in which the objectives, definitions, and methodology of the project are outlined, the paper is structured in two parts. The first one provides an overview of the e-commerce key market players and dominant business models, the working and employment conditions in storage and delivery activities, the role of social partners, and the geography of supply chains in the countries considered. The second one answers the research questions, formulating forecasts and paving the way for the next phases of the project.
