As part of the international drive to reduce emissions by DPDgroup, DPD UK has announced plans to deliver low and zero-emission vehicles to 25 of the largest UK towns and cities by 2025.
DPDgroup recently announced plans to use low and zero-emission vehicles exclusively in 225 urban centres in 20 countries. Part of the model is to use micro and urban depots and other alternative delivery solutions.
This will mean that around 17 percent of the parcels the company handles, which is 260 million, will be delivered using zero or low-emissions vehicles. As a result, this will decrease DPD’s CO2E emissions by an impressive 89 percent compared to those in 2020.
An investment of around €200 million (£181 million) will involve buying 7,000 new alternative fuel vehicles, installing 3,600 charging points and setting up 80 new urban depots across Europe.
In the UK the cities that will use the new low and zero-emission vehicles include Birmingham, Bradford, Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Coventry, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Kingston-upon-Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Reading, Sheffield, Southampton and Stoke-on-Trent.
Dwain McDonald, DPD’s CEO, said: “This is a hugely significant announcement from DPDgroup. We’ve led the way on electric vehicles in the UK parcel market, first with our all-electric micro depots in London and then with the scale of our nationwide investment. We already have over 700 electric vehicles in the UK and they’re in every depot.
“Delivering green vehicles to 25 of the largest towns and cities in the UK is the next stage in our plan. This will drastically reduce our emissions in the locations with the highest populations.
“We are conscious of our responsibility to the planet and its people. We aim to be the most sustainable delivery company in the UK and Europe. We were among the first to put our hands up and acknowledge our part in climate change issues, and have put our hands in our pockets and started investing in the solution.
“We know from central London that this model works and that shippers and shoppers both love seeing parcels delivered in a green manner. We have made significant progress already. It’s great to share our longer-term vision and look forward to turning these 25 towns and cities green.”
