Conclusive remarks

The transportation of goods and people is constantly increasing due to economic growth and the needs of the global market. For example, the raising trends of e-commerce, deriving from the development of ICTs but also from the restrictions of the Covid-19 period, persist, creating rising demand for freight transport. Largely depending on fossil fuel, the development of the transport sector is leading to significant negative impacts on energy consumption and emissions. Nowadays, this is extremely important due to the climate and energy crisis and the pursuit of the UN sustainable development goals. On the other hand, the transport sector has a very positive impact on the economy and employment. Thus, it is important to promote the transition of the sector towards green and climate-neutral solutions, comprising the appropriate policies, technologies and business models as well as the suitable awareness raising and training of both administrative and operative personnel. In this framework, taking into account that last-mile transportation is an integral part of the logistics chain, the purpose of the “Couriers Go Green” project is to develop a strategy and a training and certification scheme that will offer competencies and motivation to courier, postal and delivery organisations and their personnel in order to optimize their overall green environmental performance.

Focusing on Europe, the current report briefly presents the corresponding policy priorities at EU level. The main strategies for the green transition of the EU economy are outlined in the European Green Deal, which sets ambitious targets for each economic sector including the transport sector. These strategies are interpreted into specific policies in the EU smart and sustainable mobility strategy and the new EU urban mobility framework. Furthermore, the current TEN-T policy is focusing on the deployment of smart and sustainable mutlimodal infrastructure with specific reference to the imprtance of green and effective last-mile transportation in cities that comprise the TEN-T urban nodes. According to this documentation, the target is to reduce GHG emissions from transport by at least 90% by 2050 compared to 1990 levels. This is historically the most ambitious target for the EU transport and mobility policy and requires the combination of a wide array of legislation, standardisation, innovation, policy and cooperation to achieve awareness raising, engagement and action. Implementing the EU policy and SDGs, member-states are setting national targets to reduce emissions from transport, with different degrees of ambition and different levels of achievement.

The current report reviews the main tools and methods of international practice, with focus on the EU experience, for the green transition of transport. The tools and methods which were identified refer to the following:

• Carbon footprint calculation in order to assess the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by an organisation’s activity in different activity areas so as to identify problems and opportunities to reduce their carbon footprint.
• Life cycle management and assessment of operations regarding their environmental impact throughout the entire life cycle of products and services. LCA not only allows for the investigation of areas for the improvement of environmental performance but also to identify the appropriate stages throught time from raw material to product disposal and/or recycling.
• Sustainable transport planning refers to the circular process of designing, developing and evaluating sustainable transport systems in a holistic and interdisciplinary approach. This approach for urban passenger mobility and freight transport in European cities is embedded in the SUMP and the SULP guidelines. Multimodality, accessibility, health and livability, safety and security, economic development, social equity and environmental sustainability are key priorities in these guidelines. Different on-site techniques and desktop analysis tools are combined in the appropriate phases of sustainable transport planning, enhanced by the support of ICTs.
• Sustainable logistics and supply chain management is the process of managing the flow of goods, services, and information in a sustainable way for current and future needs by incorporating the economic, social, and environmental impacts of logistics and supply chain activities. Efficiency and effectiveness, environmental, social and economic sustainability, transparency and traceability of door-to-door operations, risk management and exploitation of technological and managerial innovation are key components. Nowadays, different management tools, including ICT-based software and equipment, are integrated into the different steps of supply chain.
• Green procurement aims to guarantee the quality of a product, contract or service Through green procurement so that environmental impacts are reduced and the process of selecting new materials and resources can create new opportunities and ultimately reduce production costs.
• Eco-friendly packaging (or green packaging or ecological packaging) aims to minimise waste and reduce the negative impact of packaging materials on the environment. Main features are the use of renewable materials and resources, the reduction of the amount of packaging material, the reuse of packaging when possible, the recovery and recycling of packaging materials and the use of packaging materials that are broken down naturally without harming the environment.
• Energy efficient vehicles, buildings and equipment are designed to save energy and resources, while providing high quality service. This is achieved through various means, e.g. the installation of appropriate infrastructure and equipment for energy efficient heating and cooling, lighting, charging of vehicles etc., the use of on-site renewable energy production and the implementation of smart building technologies to monitor and dynamically optimize energy consumption.
• Automated and digital operations, related to the request for continuously improved services but also to new vulnerabilities and increased challenges, are based on the workflow of a business supported by digital technology, either in part or in whole.
• Employee engagement and education by an organisation is likely to result to higher employee engagement and commitment to the organisation that is expected to lead to higher productivity, innovation and overall performance. In addition, the impact is positive for the employees, leading to reduced stress levels and increased job satisfaction.
• Collaboration/networking with private and public organisations aiming to provide access to resources and expertise that may be available only trhough collaboration. Main components are the clear communication and understanding between all parties involved, flexibility and adaptability and shared commitment and vision.
• Regularly monitoring and reporting progress of a transport company’s sustainability performance is conducted through the following: a. Monitoring of specific environmental performance metrics; b. Assessment of the compliance status to relevant environmental regulations and standards; c. Planning for participation in sustainability initiatives and progress reporting; d. Stakeholder engagement and communication actions which involve customers, employees, suppliers, and local communities; e. Risk management processes; f. Clear goals and tangible targets for continuous improvement; and g. Systematically organised databases on relevant data regarding the company’s operations and performance.
• Certification is the process of awarding a written assurance (certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. This formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics can be provided by an independent body (Conformity Assessment or Certification Body). The that contribute positively to sustainability is of major importance. In the context of certifying knowledge, skills and professional qualifications, EU is setting frameworks and mechanisms (e.g. Directive 2005/36/EC, Europass). However, there are still challenges and limitations in the certification process. ISO/IEC 17024:2012 is the governing and most widely accepted industry standard, including principles and requirements for a body certifying persons against specific requirements, and includes the development and maintenance of a certification scheme for persons. Certain elements of this standard can be of use when developing the certification scheme for this project.

In order to collect data and information by stakeholders, a questionnaire survey and a set of interviews were addressed to both the project’s main target group, i.e. courier, postal and delivery services and public authorities responsible for policy making and management, and secondary target group, i.e. transport & logistics as well as climate and environmental strategy consultants, research institutions and other relevant organisations. According to the survey and interview results, almost ¾ of respondents have a general knowledge of the EU policy on the green transition of transport & logistics while an equal share of respondents are not informed on the corresponding national policy framework, leading to the conclusion that there is a gap of transfering policy from the EU to the national level. The significance of this gap is highlighted by the fact that the ¾ of participants find the implementation of such a policy as very important and necessary to achieve sustainability in the operations of courier, postal and delivery services.

The respondents evaluated the main obstacles towards green transition of a courier/postal/delivery service organisation and found that all obstacles were either somewhat or very significant. The most important barrier refers to the age and condition of the fleet, which is linked to another main barrier, i.e. the low adoption of “green” fuels and zero-carbon vehicles. Other main barriers refer to the energy consumption of buildings and equipment, the low adoption of automation, the insufficient strategic planning and know-how for monitoring and management and the insufficient or ineffective national policies. The respondents were also asked to grade the main priorities towards green transition of a courier/postal/delivery service organisation. All priorities received high scores but, in relation to the above-mentioned obstacles, their selections focused more on the energy efficiency of vehicles, buildings and equipment, the need for effective strategic planning, the employee awareness, training and engagement and the monitoring of emissions and reporting. This conclusion is aligned with the the purpose of the  project to contribute towards the development of a green transition strategy and training/certification scheme.

Out of the 16 participating organisations of the main target group, those that do not have nor plan for a green transition strategy, a training scheme to provide “green” skills to its employees and a certification scheme for these skills correspond to approximately 30%, 50% and 60% respectively. Almost all organisations that implement or plan such strategies or schemes consider that they have a positive impact on green transition of their operations. More specifically, the great majority of respondents stated that their strategy or their corresponding training and certification schemes cover to a significant extent the afore-mentioned priorities for the green transition of their operations. This indicates the importance of the strategies, training and certification schemes for the green transition of transport operations despite the currently limited deployment of such initiatives.