Feature
Tackling The Environmental Impact Of Parcel Deliveries
There is a huge amount of hype around smart cities and creating a more sustainable future, but one key factor in creating environmentally friendly building that is often overlooked is parcel deliveries. Here, Ian Caminsky, SVP & MD Parcel Locker Solutions at Quadient, discusses how parcel lockers present facilities managers and property developers with a solution to reduce delivery emissions and provide residents with more eco-friendly living options.
COP objectives1 , achieving net-zero, and creating a more
sustainable future are currently top of the agenda for an increasing number of governments,
businesses, and even
individuals. The record temperatures and extreme weather of this year to date have only emphasised the urgent need to take action.
This is a problem for everybody but making densely populated and urban areas more sustainable is a particular priority. The need to reduce air pollution and emissions is top of the list, so much so that Mayor Sadiq Khan has set a target to make London net-zero carbon by 20302
. It is no surprise that road vehicles
are one of the biggest causes of air pollution in cities, producing nearly half of all nitrogen oxides and emitting rubber and metal particles into the air we breathe.
Deliveries are a significant contributor to the number of vehicles on the road, with the volume of parcels being delivered having overtaken letters for the first time3
. The popularity of
online shopping is only going to continue increasing and so it is the responsibility of city planners, new housing developers, facilities managers, and carriers to find innovative solutions that consolidate and streamline deliveries to reduce the environmental impact of delivery traffic.
More Congested Roads
As consumer demands have changed in recent years, one thing has become clear: ease and convenience will always win. We’ve seen the boom in online shopping reduce the need for consumers to travel to stores, and now next-day-delivery has become the norm. But with the average UK adult receiving 74 parcel deliveries a year4
and in dense urban areas where 300-
400 people can live in a single building, this can attract up to tens of thousands of deliveries a year per building.
36 fmuk
This vast number of shipments is increasing the number of vans on the roads and bringing higher levels of emissions with it. Freight and deliveries already account for a quarter of London’s total carbon emissions5
Forum believes the number of delivery vehicles in the top 100 cities worldwide will increase by 36% until 20306
from transport; the World Economic . As a
result, emissions from delivery traffic will increase by 32% and congestion will rise by over 21%.
While much of the focus of new developments has been on energy efficient infrastructure, sustainable architecture and green building materials, developments also need to focus on reducing traffic. This isn’t only important as a measure to reduce emissions, alongside initiatives such as Ultra Low Emissions Zones. It is also an important element in creating Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs), a crucial step towards creating safer and more liveable environments. Plus, it is likely that more of these zones and neighbourhoods will be introduced across the country, and so property managers will need to find new ways to comply with sustainable regulations or risk fines.
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