Paris, 6 October 2020 - “Today we are accelerating our commitment to the planet with an ambitious reduction of our ecological footprint in European cities. As such, DPDgroup will invest €200 million by 2025, contributing to a better quality of life in 225 cities across Europe.” Boris Winkelmann, CEO of GeoPost/DPDgroup.
By 2025:
- 225 green cities[1] in 20 European countries
- 80 million people served by low-emission delivery solutions[2]
- 7,700 alternative delivery vehicles deployed (electric, natural gas, cargo bikes, etc.)
- Reducing carbon emissions by 89% and pollutants by 80% in the cities covered by this initiative
Green deliveries in 225 European cities by 2025
DPDgroup has announced a commitment to deliver 225 of Europe's largest cities with low- and zero-emission delivery options.
Up to 30% of CO2 emissions in cities are the result of urban freight transport. Particulate emissions from urban freight transport account for 50% of all emissions in urban contexts. Air pollution, mainly from road traffic, is suspected of reducing life expectancy by 15 months for people living in cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants (according to the European Environment Agency's 2018 European Air Quality Report). For all these reasons, DPDgroup has chosen to target its initiative on Europe's largest cities.
This ambition is based on a new delivery model that DPDgroup has been experimenting with for several years in many European cities.
With this experience, DPDgroup has redesigned its last-mile operations by creating micro and urban repositories, and implementing appropriate alternative delivery solutions. Numerous initiatives have already been implemented by DPD in London, Hamburg, Warsaw and Dublin, and most recently by Chronopost in Paris, the first European city fully shipped with low-emission solutions since late 2019. The program announced today reinforces the European ambition that comes from the know-how and expertise acquired in the first cities where these initiatives were implemented. This program translates into more than 260 million parcels, or 17% of the Group's volumes over time.
“Recognizing our responsibility to the planet and its people, we want to be the most sustainable delivery company in Europe. While DPDgroup has a role to play in climate change issues, we also have a role to play in developing a solution that addresses these changes! It is with this in mind that we have decided to act pragmatically by reducing our emissions in the most populous cities,” explains Winkelmann.
- Reducing carbon emissions by 89% and pollutants by 80% in the cities affected by these initiatives
By 2025, DPDgroup will drastically reduce its last-mile carbon footprint in targeted cities, reducing CO2 emissions by 89% and pollutants[3] by 80% compared to 2020.
“Our long-term goal is to build on this first ambitious plan to deploy zero- and low-emission delivery solutions in Europe’s 225 largest cities to become fully CO2 neutral in our last mile business over the next 20 years,” concludes Winkelmann.
- 7,700 new alternative vehicles and 80 new urban depots
To reach its goal of 225 green cities, DPDgroup will deploy 7,700 new alternative vehicles, 3,600 charging points and 80 new urban depots. These initiatives represent a total investment of €200 million by 2025.
The new alternative fleets will be made up of a variety of vehicles, depending on the city center (e.g. street size), delivery needs and regulatory constraints. Electric vehicles (MAN eTGE, Volkswagen eCrafter, Nissan eNV-200, etc.), small electric vehicles (Tripl, Paxter, etc.) and natural gas vehicles will be deployed, as well as bicycles, cargo bikes, pedestrian transport and carts.
The launch of 80 new urban micro-depots and repositories will further optimize delivery processes, local scale-up of operations and proximity to customers. These will be deployed in major urban centers such as Basel, Barcelona, Berlin, Budapest, Munich, Marseille, Prague and Warsaw, complementing the current network of 130 urban depots in the cities of Dublin, London, Madrid, Paris and Rotterdam.
Act for green delivery, a long-standing ambition for DPDgroup
Since 2012, DPDgroup has been committed to providing responsible delivery solutions through its CSR program, DrivingChangeTM, inherent to its identity and actions. From an environmental point of view, DPDgroup has implemented several initiatives taking into account its different stakeholders. Further information is provided in the Annex.
“Acting for green delivery is a long-standing ambition for us at DPDgroup. We are actively reducing our carbon footprint through green delivery solutions that we will have deployed in 225 European cities by 2025. The goal is to be the partner of choice for customers and municipal authorities, helping them in their sustainable development programs and acting together for a better planet, because we all share the same address,” says Winkelmann...
[1] By 2025, 225 major European cities will have low-emission delivery facilities.
[2] The cities covered represent 80 million inhabitants to whom DPDgroup will deliver parcels using low-emission vehicles.
[3] Such as particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxides (NOx).
Full publication (Fr) : DPD Published in October 2020