New Delhi, April 9 -- US-based outdoor apparel company Patagonia has come under fire after rolling out a new "earth usage fee" for online shoppers in China.

The fee applies only to purchases made via the brand's store on Tmall, a premium e-commerce platform operated by Alibaba.

According to a report by the South China Morning Post, the initiative was introduced on March 30 as part of Patagonia's Earth Month campaign in April, aimed at addressing the environmental impact of e-commerce deliveries and returns.

Patagonia cited data from last year's Double 11 shopping festival - China's biggest online sale event - to explain the decision.

The company said it shipped 16,179 packages from its Tmall store, out of which 11,277 were returned. T...