The last mile is one of the most challenging sections of the logistics chain. The associated challenges are diverse. Traffic jams make it difficult for vehicles to progress, lack of space in urban centers limits stopping possibilities, while at the same time, delivery deadlines must be met.
Moreover, this last mile in logistics, which is so crucial for customer satisfaction, also has significant environmental impacts. It is therefore not always in line with the growing awareness of environmental and sustainability issues.
Rhenus Home Delivery, a logistics specialist for heavy and bulky goods, is therefore focusing on more environmentally friendly solutions that do not compromise on efficiency. Various approaches help to combine sustainable action with efficiency. An important step is the use of electric vehicles and other environmentally friendly options that reduce emissions and contribute to improved air quality.
Microdepots as a Sustainability Factor
Empty runs can also be avoided through improved route planning based on intelligent systems. In doing so, routes are optimized and fuel consumption as well as emissions are further reduced. Another key to increasing efficiency on the last mile is the establishment of microdepots in urban areas.
Microdepots are small warehouses or distribution centers located near densely populated areas. They serve as transshipment points for goods to be delivered on the last mile and enable logistics companies to efficiently load and unload delivery vehicles and then bring the goods to end consumers using smaller delivery vehicles or even cargo bikes.
These microdepots make an important contribution to easing traffic congestion, reducing environmental impact, and optimizing delivery in urban areas. This also significantly reduces CO2 emissions. As early as 2022, Rhenus Home Delivery tested this delivery concept on the last mile for delivering heavy and bulky shipments in Berlin as one of the first logistics service providers.
“It is important to us to develop and establish innovative but also practical delivery concepts that ensure less traffic and fewer emissions. Microdepots are part of that,” explains Patrick Renziehausen, Managing Director of Rhenus Home Delivery Germany.
E-Fleet: Ecological Investments are the Future The last mile specialist has been continuously growing since its founding. It now has eleven of its own national and three partner networks in Europe. As one of the major players in home & living logistics in Europe, it transports seven million shipments per year.
The logistics service provider has even set up its own charging stations for its e-trucks. | Image: Rhenus Home Delivery
By expanding the microdepot concept, the company reduced its mileage by 350,000 kilometers annually and its CO2 emissions by 132 tons, according to its own statements.
Overall, the motto is saving. Against the backdrop of responsible resource management, Rhenus Home Delivery has set itself the goal of reducing its own CO2 emissions by two-thirds by 2025.
The company has already taken important steps in this direction: With 50,000 CO2-free deliveries and 600,000 electric kilometers driven in Germany alone in 2023, a noticeable improvement has already been achieved. In addition, ecological measures such as green electricity, LED lighting, water treatment, photovoltaic systems, and alternative drives are being implemented at the sites.
To make goods delivery more environmentally friendly, the company will continue to focus even more on sustainable solutions and concepts in the future. The fleet in Germany will be expanded to around 300 electric vehicles from various manufacturers by the end of the year, along with 150 of its own electric charging stations.
However, when one considers the pure acquisition costs of an electric vehicle, converting the fleet is currently a real challenge. On average, an electric truck is currently twice as expensive as a conventional diesel truck. And this additional cost is not currently amortized before the end of the average service life of a delivery vehicle.
For this reason, Renziehausen considers extensive and long-term funding measures essential to create an economic incentive for the acquisition of vehicles with alternative drives and to accelerate the traffic turnaround in Europe.
Rhenus Home Delivery delivers heavier goods to customers with 2-person handling. | Image: Rhenus Home Delivery
Rhenus itself is continuing to work on making its own fleet more sustainable with alternative drives.
“A focus will certainly continue to be on electric drives in the future, although we at Rhenus are fundamentally open to all technologies,” said the managing director.
In principle, the goal is to significantly reduce the share of fossil fuels.
Forerunners in sustainable city logistics For Rhenus, it is clear: In order to achieve global climate goals, business, society, and politics must work together. Logistics companies are also required to critically review their processes and make them sustainable.
Companies like Rhenus Home that use alternative drives, test sustainable city logistics concepts, and use green electricity are role models that show how CO2 emissions can be significantly reduced. Even in the last mile, it is important to avoid empty runs, operate energy-efficient facilities, and build an environmentally friendly vehicle fleet.
This article appeared in the VISION Transport Summer 2024 issue
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