by Walther Ploos van Amstel
Globalization, urbanization, and the recent COVID-19 pandemic have raised the demand for logistic activities. This change is affecting the entire supply chain, especially the last-mile step. This step is considered the most expensive and ineffective part of the supply chain and a source of negative economic, environmental, and social externalities. A publication by Portuguese researchers …
Alternative solutions for sustainable last-mile parcel deliveries have been piloted and partially implemented in Europe in the past decade. However, these delivery concepts have mainly been considered in inner-city areas. There are a few examples of applying these concepts in peripheral urban areas, where new housing is being built to accommodate high population pressure. However, …
The advancement of new technologies and the increasingly inseparable presence of logistics systems in the daily life of cities, industries, companies, and society has been modifying how logistics processes are implemented in these environments based on technological innovations, internet, virtual businesses, mobility, and the use of multi-channel distribution. Together with these changes, urban centers have …
Road transport is an enabler for economic and social life and one of the key sectors of the EU, corresponding to at least 5% of the European Gross Value Added and employing around 10.3 million people. Today, approximately 73 % of the total EU population lives in cities, towns, and suburbs, and the urban population’s …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Is it possible for flexible applications of infrastructure to help cope with the demand for space? In a new paper, researchers tried to answer how different forms of flexibility can impact the societal costs of infrastructure development on passenger transport hubs. The value is used to determine these impacts for an explorative research option. This …
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 …