Faster & Greener - The benefits of sustainable last-mile delivery

This month on the Sustainability Solved podcast we are delving into the topic of last-mile delivery, the final stage of an order process where an item is transported from a warehouse or fulfilment centre to the final delivery destination.

Our cities are packed with commercial vehicles that pollute our local areas and make it increasingly dangerous to navigate our streets. As cities move towards reducing CO2 emissions and air pollution, the commercial vehicle sector needs to be at the forefront of the movement to make way for a greener future.

We are joined by Chris Benson, CEO and Founder of Oxford-based Pedal and Post, and Co-founder of Pedal Me, Ben Knowles, who are both at the forefront of the greener delivery movement.

Highlights:

• Studies with the University of Westminster found that cargo bikes could do 60% more deliveries at the same time as commercial vehicles on most shop deliveries around London.
• On top of working with national parcel carriers, Pedal and Post specialise in medical deliveries. They pioneered the first delivery service that delivers chemotherapy medication in Oxford.
• Larger companies can see that the future is going towards cargo bikes but have not been able to achieve the kind of scale of operations that will make a difference.
• Sustainable deliveries can work out-with cities. Ben highlights that there may need to be some changes to the design of the bikes to cover ground quicker.
• With the increase in climate awareness, consumers are increasingly looking for organisations to deliver on sustainability commitments, and businesses should be helping to educate consumers on greener delivery.
• Ben tells us of the positive reaction received by consumers when they see a cargo bike instead of a commercial vehicle, especially when he delivered a 15ft pink dodo sculpture!

Resources:

Pedal Me

Pedal and Post

University of Westminster cargo bikes research overview

Ultra-Low Emissions Zone

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