Companies next year will increasingly look to last-mile technology solutions to reduce carbon emissions from deliveries 

Last-mile Delivery and Sustainability 

With the ongoing surge in online shopping, last-mile deliveries are quickly becoming a key business strategy for retailers and carriers. Creating superior delivery experiences for consumers can lead to increased brand loyalty and future sales. In a bid to reduce their own carbon footprints, consumers are now demanding more sustainable deliveries. And last-mile delivery is not a sustainable process. 

By 2030, demand for last-mile deliveries is expected to grow by 78% and emissions from those are expected to grow by more than 30% in 100 cities across the globe, according to a 2020 study by the World Economic Forum.

Having faster, cheaper, more flexible and more sustainable shipping is a competitive advantage for retailers trying to attract consumers. But demands for sustainability aren’t solely coming from consumers – they are coming from governments and financial institutions as well. With these pressures, retailers and shippers will continue to look for ways to reduce the environmental impact of their deliveries in 2023. Adopting last-mile technology will be critical for them to achieve this. 

Tech-enabled Sustainability Solutions 

Technology is changing the way last-mile deliveries are orchestrated by enabling greater predictiveness, configurability and adaptability, which will translate into greater efficiency and reduced carbon emissions. Here are a few key solutions that will continue to gain traction in 2023 to help companies create leaner, greener last-mile deliveries.

Loop optimization: Leverages driver activity data of historical deliveries to suggest the optimal number of routes within a defined geographic area. This results in an unlimited-scale solution that provides multiple optimized loops and maximizes route performance, generating greater delivery efficiency and reduced carbon emissions.  

Green vehicle route planning: Enables companies to design and plan last-mile delivery of products with an intelligent mix of green fleets (electric bikes, bikes and foot delivery). As companies transition to using more carbon-neutral delivery methods, their routing software must account for bike lanes, sidewalks, charging stations and more. Traditional routing software oftentimes neglects the nuances that carbon-neutral delivery methods entail. 

Carrier allocation system: Helps shippers select suitable delivery partners for …