by Walther Ploos van Amstel
European cities face unprecedented challenges, from climate change to biodiversity loss, growing economic instability, and global chain disruptions. The circular economy is increasingly recognized as an excellent opportunity to tackle these challenges, unlocking wide-ranging benefits that help cities thrive and become more liveable and resilient. This is precisely why the Circular Cities Declaration (CCD) has …
The seventh annual FT 1000 ranking, compiled with data provider Statista, identifies those companies that have flourished and expanded, many benefiting as corporate and consumer demands shifted with the ebb and flow of the pandemic. In addition, the Financial Times ranking lists those European companies that achieved the highest compound annual growth rate in revenue …
Confused delivery drivers add time, cost, and frustration to deliveries. Much of this confusion comes from addresses and entrances not matching up exactly. Tech companies want to close the data gap between an address and a completed delivery. From accurate point-to-point navigation, finding unaddressed locations, assisting emergency and humanitarian organizations to help people in their …
Low emission zones (LEZs) are essential for cities regulating urban freight. Though low-emission zones have been primarily implemented as an air quality improvement strategy, they have the potential to catalyze a faster transition to electric vehicles and encourage more compact development that facilitates walking, cycling, and using public transportation. Momentum around low-emission zones is growing. …
In 2022, diesel continued to dominate the EU van market with 86.0% of total van registrations, although it lost some market share compared to 2021 (when it held 90.2%). By contrast, electric vans showed strong growth in 2022, nearly doubling their market share from 3% in 2021 to 5.3% in 2022. In the Netherlands, the …
E-commerce is a rapidly evolving sector. With 94% of Belgian inhabitants having access to the internet, 80% of them are e-shoppers. Additionally, 7 in 10 Belgians shopped at least once to up to five times during the past three months to the survey conducted in 2021 by EUROSTAT. Impact of e-commerce deliveries The consumers’ convenience …
We are living on a finite planet. Mankind is overstepping planetary boundaries, however. In 2021, worldwide consumption exceeded the yearly bio-capacity of the Earth (what we call the overshoot day) on the 29th of July. The situation is far worse for industrialized countries: In 2022, Belgium reached that overshoot day on the 26th of March. …
Supply chains, city logistics, and freight transport have been pressured to improve productivity, quality, and sustainability. But unfortunately, conventional practice methods cannot respond to this industry’s ever-growing challenges and needs. The development of contemporary city logistics education has the utmost importance. New methods/technologies have emerged to respond to this issue, making urban freight logistics a …
Scientists are increasingly concerned by the health impact of air pollution produced by the wear of vehicle tires. The particles are especially damaging due to the toxic chemicals they are made from, say scientists from Imperial College London. The Guardian reports about it. The warning follows UK government data showing that significantly more tiny pollution particles now come …
Circular construction materials have been reused or recycled to reduce waste and promote sustainability. However, while using circular materials in construction has many benefits, logistical challenges must be addressed. Some of the critical logistics challenges with circular construction materials include: Sourcing: Finding a reliable and consistent supply of circular materials can be challenging. It requires …