H2020 opportunity: Zero-emission e-commerce and freight delivery and return choices

In May 2023, new H2020 research opportunities are open for zero-emission e-commerce and freight delivery and return choices by retailers, consumers, and local authorities. The total indicative budget for the topic is euro 6 million.

Projects are expected to contribute to all of the following outcomes:

1. Better understanding of customers’ willingness and motivations to choose more sustainable delivery and return options, possibly including social sustainability (e.g., adequate working conditions for drivers/delivery personnel).
2. Retailers and logistics operators support relevant processes by providing information on the implications of delivery solutions.
3. Consumers are aware of and committed to using delivery and return strategies to reduce emissions and traffic congestion.
4. Information on the environmental footprint of deliveries and returns are provided transparently and in an understandable way by the retailers (in collaboration with logistics operators and transport system providers) to consumers.
5. A wider range of zero-emission delivery and return options and related incentive schemes (at least comparable to the existing ones e.g., in terms of price and convenience) are co-designed with customers and proposed by retailers, incentivized by customers’ growing demand for greener choices and cities’ regulations.
6. At least 50% of the delivery and return options/processes adopted by the retailers and logistics operators involved in the action and available to their customers are zero-emission.
7. Better understanding of local authorities’ ability to influence consumers’ greener choices of delivery and return options.
8. Recommendations were proposed to local authorities and the EU on the impact of relevant policy levers and possible regulations to influence greener choices of delivery and return options.

To support changing retailers’ and customers’ behavior towards zero-emission freight delivery and return choices, the research actions will have to develop co-created actions to increase transparency and consumers’ awareness of greenhouse gas emissions and other impacts (also considering socio-economic ones) of e-commerce, deliveries, and returns. They will also have to propose zero-emission delivery solutions and develop supporting incentive schemes to encourage customers to make sustainable choices, following their preferences and in combination with competitive and sustainable retail value propositions.

For more information about HORIZON-CL5-2023-D6-01-06: Zero-emission e-commerce and freight delivery and return choices by retailers, consumers, and local authorities click here.