DPDgroup has announced its commitment to deliver zero and low-emission delivery means to 225 of the largest European cities in 20 countries. “DPDgroup will invest €200m by 2025, contributing to a better quality of life in 225 cities all over Europe.” Boris Winkelmann, Chairman & CEO of GeoPost / DPDgroup. This ambition relies on a new delivery model DPDgroup has been trialing in many cities throughout Europe for several years now.
Thanks to this experience, DPDgroup has re-thought the way it operates last-mile delivery by implementing micro and urban depots as well as appropriate alternative delivery solutions. Many initiatives have already been implemented by DPD in cities such as London, Hamburg, Warsaw and Dublin, and more recently by Chronopost in Paris, the first European city fully delivered with low-emission solutions starting late 2019. The programme announced today represents the acceleration of a pan-European ambition finding its roots in the know-how and expertise gained from the first cities where these initiatives were implemented, translating to more than 260 million parcels or 17% of the Group’s volumes over time.
Urban transport of goods is responsible for up to 30% of CO2 emissions in cities. Particle emissions from urban freight transport make up 50% of all emissions found in urban contexts. Atmospheric pollution, the primary source of which is road traffic, is suspected to shorten life expectancy by 15 months for those living in cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants (2018 European Air Quality report by the European Environment Agency). It is for these reasons that DPDgroup has targeted the largest cities of Europe for the start of this initiative.
By 2025 DPDgroup will reduce its last-mile carbon footprint rigorously in the cities targeted, decreasing its CO2 emissions by 89% and pollutants by 80% compared to 2020.
To achieve the ambition of 225 green cities, DPDgroup will deploy 7,000 new alternative vehicles, 3,600 charging points and 80 new urban depots. These initiatives represent an investment of €200m in total by 2025. New alternative fleets will be composed of various vehicles, depending on the city centre (size of streets for example), delivery needs and regulatory constraints. Electric vehicles (MAN eTGE, Volkswagen eCrafter, Nissan eNV-200, etc.), small electric vehicles (Tripl, Paxter, etc.) and natural gas vehicles will be deployed along with cargo bikes and bicycles, pedestrian means and trolleys.
The launch of 80 new micro and urban depots will help to further optimise delivery processes, local operations adaption and customer proximity. These will roll out in main city centres such as Basel, Barcelona, Berlin, Budapest, Munich, Marseille, Prague and Warsaw, hence complementing the current network of 130 urban depots in cities including Dublin, London, Madrid, Paris and Rotterdam.
Source: DPDgroup
