UK independent parcel carrier Yodel has reduced its carbon emissions by 25% despite record growth over the last five years. The significant reduction can be attributed to Yodel’s £17m investment in its fleet and technology.
Fleet improvements
As part of its long-term commitment to more sustainable deliveries, Yodel has introduced a policy whereby all vehicles owned by the business must be three years old or younger. Thanks to this initiative, every Yodel vehicle is Low Emissions Zone (LEZ), Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ), and Euro 6 compliant, meeting all Clean Air Zones (CAZ) requirements.
Optimising safety and performance
The business has made a significant reduction in emissions through its investment in Microlise technology for all its tractor units and trailers. The innovative software monitors factors such as speed, location and road traffic levels and reports the data to Yodel’s state-of-the-art Business Control Tower to make real-time decisions on routes and performance.
Drivers also use Microlise’s Android-based DriveTab tablet devices to optimise their performance. Yodel has already seen a 7% improvement in fuel efficiency since the introduction of the technology and is working towards reaching their goal of reducing its mileage by over 4m kilometers this year.
Yodel strives to ensure that every home delivery is successful on the first attempt using enhanced tracking and its Inflight service. Through Yodel Inflight, customers will be able to amend their delivery preferences right up to the point of delivery and reduces the need for potential repeat visits.
Pedal power
Yodel has also expanded its urban bicycle delivery offering, now operating in seven cities across the UK including London and Oxford, which supports UK Clean Air Zones. In 2020 the business reached its goal to deliver 150k parcels via pedal power and has set a new goal of delivering over 300k parcels in 2021. Yodel engaged with 11 of the 12 major bicycle operators in the UK and have contributed to reducing carbon emissions by 2.3 tonnes in London thanks to a collaboration with Pedivan.
Mike Hancox, Chief Executive Officer at Yodel commented: “Throughout the challenges of this past year we remained committed to positively contributing not only to our people and communities, but also to our environment. As a key operator in the logistics sector, we take our environmental responsibility very seriously. The proactive approach to becoming more eco-friendly is key in all our decision making and it is great to see that our long-term investment has tangibly reduced our impact on the environment. We continue to innovate and trial new ways of reducing our carbon footprint, and we’re looking forward to improving our practices further, offering greener services, and contributing to Britain’s 2050 net zero emissions target.”