Net zero by 2035 is the goal of courier firm Evri who are reducing carbon emissions across transportation, infrastructure and business process.
Net zero ambitions at the company, the biggest dedicated parcel delivery firm in UK, are being driven by a core ESG strategy that lays at the heart of every part of the business.
“Transportation is a core area of our business and just one part of our ESG strategy that has led to a 17.5 per cent reduction in our overall operational carbon footprint,” says Nancy Hobhouse, head of sustainability at Evri who handle over 700 million parcels a year.
“ESG forms two of the four core pillars that underpin the business. Firstly, there’s community. Couriers and ParcelShops are key part of our operation and play a vital role in the diverse, dynamic communities we serve across the UK.
“Secondly, there’s sustainability itself. We already have the lowest carbon emission of any dedicated parcel delivery company in the UK and we’re growing the biggest sustainable fleet in the industry thanks to our ongoing investment in technology and exploration of alternative fuels. We’ve also appointed key roles of Chief Transformation Officer, Head of ESG and Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion to help steer our ESG Net zero strategy.”
The biggest challenge to Evri’s net zero ambition is to help its local couriers contribute to a low-carbon transport framework. “Our couriers are the beating heart of our business, at the start and the end of the journey,” explains Nancy. “The challenge we face is to find a low carbon solution that does not impose a cost burden on our couriers or increase the cost per parcel. We do not want our couriers to take on the financial cost of low carbon transition and have an entire team dedicated to finding a solution. We’re exploring a range of possibilities.
“Almost 50 per cent of our heavy vehicles now use Bio CNG fuel and 30 per cent of our parcel shop vehicles are electric powered. We’re exploring use of EAV bikes in urban areas with fleet conversion increasing year-on-year.
“To achieve our net zero targets we use a biomethane compressed natural gas (CNG) powered fleet as an alternative to diesel. In 2021/2022 we ordered 70 new Bio CNG tractor units, bringing the total to 160 – 50% of our core tractor fleet. This gives us the UK’s largest CNG parcel delivery fleet. Approximately 40% of our first-mile fleet is powered by Bio CNG.
“Each new unit reduces CO2 emissions by more than 80% when compared to a Euro 6 diesel vehicle, a reduction of 150 tonnes of CO2 per vehicle and 24,000+ tonnes of CO2 across the entire Bio CNG fleet annually. Other CNG benefits include reductions in air pollution impact, such as 70% less NOX, 99% less particulate matter, 90% less NMHC and 88% less methane. They’re also 50% quieter than diesel equivalents.
“Our London Gemini site operates with 100% electric vehicles to service final-mile deliveries in central London and in 2021/22 we ordered 168 new zero-emission electric vans to support our out-of-home ParcelShop network. To support our net zero targets we aim to undertake all ParcelShop collections with electric vehicles at the earliest opportunity, and we’re installing charging points at our hubs and depots.
“Over 2022/23 we plan to increase the number of CNG tractor units by more than 12% and increase our dedicated out-of-home electric van fleet to 30%. We are also currently trialling an e-cargo bike that has been calculated to reduce last-mile carbon emissions by 89%.”
“We know it will be a long journey to net zero but we’re firmly on the right road as we look to deliver a better future for our business and the planet.”
