Shift to cargo bike deliveries could save UK taxpayers £4bn

Analysis suggests that if delivery companies switched to using cargo bikes instead of diesel vans for first and last-mile deliveries, it would save the UK NHS and other Government services more than £4 billion. The cost savings, claimed by cargo bike delivery firm Pedal and Post and researchers at Just Economics, are derived from reduced …

Net zero in 2050: how will transport companies survive?

The logistics sector must be net zero by 2050. But all measures proposed will create an uneven playing field with selective access to logistics capabilities, people, money, data, and energy. So how will transport companies survive? I was asked to lecture on sustainability for a group of CEOs from European transport companies. I hyperventilated. What …

The use of drones in city logistics: a case study

City logistics take a considerable part in urban transportation. Inevitably, the last mile deliveries are partly responsible for degrading the environment. Towards more environmentally friendly city logistics, using different means of transport has been tested; one among them is drones. A new paper aims better to understand the use of drones for last-mile deliveries. More …

A framework for city logistics and decarbonization

City logistics must be organized more sustainably and eventually decarbonize. To this end, the focus is mainly on electrification as a technical measure, whereby electric equivalents eventually substitute conventional vehicles. There are, however, numerous decarbonization strategies for city logistics, some of which aim to reduce the number of vehicle movements by changing demand, more collaboration …

Austrian study: online is more sustainable

On behalf of the Austrian Post, the Federal Environment Agency analyzed the climate effects of online and stationary retail purchases. In addition, the economic impact of national and international online retailing was examined. The result: climate-friendly parcel delivery offers potential savings in greenhouse gas emissions. If customers also use domestic online retailers, this positively affects …

The Wing Delivery Network: coming in 12 months

Companies worldwide have been working for over a decade to develop drone technologies that will work together with ground transportation to improve last-mile delivery. Wing Delivery Network’s ultimate vision is to deliver people’s packages more efficiently and safely as part of an automated logistics system that moves boxes by the millions. The economics of drone …

The impact of off-site construction transport on air quality

Today Nicolas Brusselaers (VU Brussels) promoted his thesis about the impact of off-site construction transport on air quality. The effects of air pollution are responsible for more than 364.200 premature deaths in Europe each year. Most urban areas still exceed the NOx and PM WHO air quality guidelines, of which a large share of pollutants …