Tag «sustainability»

Last but not least: a paradoxical sustainability exploration in last-mile delivery and city logistics

As societal challenges intensify and business practices shift, Helleke Heikkinen’s thesis encourages a fresh perspective on sustainability in last-mile delivery (LMD) and urban logistics. It calls upon managers, policymakers, and researchers to engage in collaborative discussions and adopt a paradoxical approach to sustainability. In an age of rapid urbanization and the rise of e-commerce, the …

Amazon: on operating more sustainably for customers and communities

Kara Hurst, chief sustainability officer at Amazon, talks to McKinsey about scaling Amazon’s sustainability initiatives, including increasing its focus on nature-based solutions to benefit communities. How is Amazon working on reaching its Climate Pledge goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2040? While the scope of this challenge is large, Amazon has been taking bold steps …

US study: is online grocery delivery a sustainable practice?

Grocery delivery services have seen rapid growth in recent years. Is this a sustainable practice or a congestion generator and an environmental burden? Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University (USA) developed a method to estimate changes in travel patterns caused by grocery delivery adoption (a method to modify travel demand data to reflect changes in travel patterns …

Local rules for unaddressed mail work. The Amsterdam example

On 1 January 2018, the municipality of Amsterdam changed the system for the reception of unaddressed mail from presumed consent to explicit consent to reduce paper waste. This policy can be defined as a default nudge. The no-choice population received unaddressed mail in the presumed consent system but not in the new explicit consent system. …

Delivery shame? No: delivery pride!

Delivery shame? Delivery pride! Anyone concerned about the environment will order online from now on. This is two to three times less harmful to the environment than going to the store yourself. Reports on the environmental impact of e-commerce are based on solid research. Researchers agree that there is no reason for concern from a …

Research: environmental sustainability of the last mile in omnichannel retail

Heleen Buldeo Rai loves sustainable online shopping; she wrote her Ph.D. thesis about it in 2019. In her thesis, she takes the reader by the hand along the ‘customer journey.’ Of course, we already know that we don’t have to be ashamed of ordering online. But, it can be much more sustainable with less impact …

DHL about ECO-mmerce: how online retail can build the sustainable supply chain of tomorrow

E-commerce is fundamentally changing approaches to supply chain sustainability in the US, according to research published by DHL. A new white paper “ECO-mmerce: How online retail can build the sustainable supply chain of tomorrow” argues that the rapid growth of e-commerce is bringing immediate opportunities to reduce emissions within the supply chain while also challenging …

Online shopping in the US is 17% more carbon-efficient than visiting stores

Online shopping at large retailers in the United States is 17% more carbon-efficient than visiting traditional stores, according to Generation Investments Management. Their study finds that the integration of efficient logistics and warehousing gives e-commerce the advantage.

Delivery drones: sustainable or not?

Drone technology is evolving at a fast pace and has increasing potential to compete with more traditional alternatives in a number of sectors beyond retail and delivery. Drone technology has uncertain potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from e-commerce and the logistics industry and concerns over increased noise pollution and threats to wildlife.

John Lewis Partnership aims at zero emission by 2050

The John Lewis Partnership announced will reduce its operational greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 at the latest, without purchasing offsets, in line with the pathway set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to limit global warming to 1.5C.