by Walther Ploos van Amstel
Environmental traffic restrictions are increasingly implemented in cities. One popular strategy consists of setting up Low Emission Zones (LEZs) that regulate or restrict the access to a dedicated urban area, for different classes of polluting vehicles. While LEZs are growing in numbers, there is a lack of objective evidence on when and how they actually …
With e-commerce setting records last year and parcel deliveries forecast to grow by 80 percent over the next decade, a study by the MIT Real Estate Innovation Lab reveals the environmental benefits of online shopping. Using average emissions results from the MIT study, the share shift to e-commerce resulted in approximately 2,4 percent fewer emissions per parcel.
Recycling activities are complex and involve many actors. Recycling supply chains are under increasing pressure due to higher volumes of waste and rising requirements regarding the treatment and quality of the secondary raw materials. The global generation of municipal solid waste is estimated to be two billion tons per year.
Freight vehicle origin-destination (O-D) matrices play a key role within the assessment procedures of city logistics scenarios, and simulation of delivery tours allows such O-D flows to be obtained. A recent paper revisits a modelling framework for simulating delivery tours using an aggregate approach of implementing a real test case using the global position system (GPS) …
The Dutch construction industry is the biggest producer of waste, according to CBS-data, but also accounts for over half of the use of all recycled materials in the Netherlands. The construction industry uses 35-40% recycled materials. Widespread reuse of building components can promote the circularity of materials in the building sector.
Online customers expect faster delivery. Last-mile logistics operators normally deliver goods on the same day that they receive them at their local facilities, creating the challenge of planning delivery routes while simultaneously receiving new requests. Once delivery vehicles have started their routes, these operators commonly employ two strategies to manage the arrival of new orders: dispatch …
If the demand for plastics follows its current trajectory, global plastic waste volumes will grow from 260 million tonnes per year in 2016 to 460 million tonnes by 2030. In Europe, still, only around 30% of all plastic waste is collected for recycling. This proportion must increase, but limited EPR schemes, fragmented waste management systems, …
What do designing an aircraft wing, packing boxes into a container, and making timetables have in common? They’re all optimization problems, according to Picnic blogger Geert Konijnendijk: “there’s an objective to be maximized or minimized (least air resistance, most boxes packed or least man-hours spent). Each individual solution to these problems will have a score …
To achieve the transition from diesel to zero-emission city logistics companies should prepare smartly on five levels. These levels require new scientific insights. Therefore Sustainability is preparing a special edition on zero-emission city logistics. Guest editor is prof. dr. Walther Ploos van Amstel.
Jobs using bicycles have diversified beyond bicycle messengering and seen a recent surge, especially with respect to the delivery of meals, parcels, and more. Urban freight companies are also increasingly using cargo bicycles for last-mile logistics. As cyclist workers are now part of a growing and diversifying set of industries, improving their safety is increasingly …