EcoLens: A survey on Sustainability Insights in E-Commerce Systems

Authors:

Raghavendrachar S¹, Angelina Sharon Robert², K Harini³, Janhavi M⁴,  Akash R⁵

 ¹Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science & Engineering, K. S. Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

²³⁴⁵Department of Computer Science & Engineering, K. S. Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Abstract – The rapid expansion of e-commerce has intensified sustainability challenges by obscuring product material composition, durability, and end-of-life options within marketing-focused descriptions, hindering circular economy adoption. This literature survey paper systematically reviews existing research on real-time sustainability insights and circular economy recommendations for online consumer products. The study synthesises 20 peer-reviewed articles, industry reports, and sustainability frameworks published between 2020-2026, analysing gaps in: (1) automated extraction of sustainability attributes from unstructured e-commerce data using web scraping and Large Language Models (LLMs); (2) operationalisation of circular economy principles (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) into consumer-facing guidance across product lifecycles; (3) integration of circularity metrics into recommendation systems; and (4) AI support for legacy products lacking digital listings.

Findings reveal fragmented research approaches, with sustainability tools disconnected from shopping journeys and circular strategies rarely applied at individual product level. The paper identifies four critical research gaps and proposes a conceptual research agenda that bridges e-commerce transparency, AI-driven analysis, and circular behaviours. This survey contributes a comprehensive theoretical foundation for future empirical studies on sustainable digital consumption.

Key Words: Sustainable consumption, circular economy, e-commerce transparency, sustainability insights, product lifecycle assessment, greenwashing