Reimagining and addressing last-mile deliveries through innovative solutions

Urban freight generates a great share of congestion, pollution, safety issues and other negative externalities. In an effort to conserve road space and pollution levels, cities are restricting movement of freight vehicles in the inner city area. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the rise of e-commerce and online shopping, changing consumer behaviour and influencing the “high frequency -less volume” for goods. As these trends continue to progress, last-mile deliveries will continue to be a challenge for both the public and private sector. Innovation and collaboration between the public and private sectors will be essential in reimagining the future of last-mile deliveries post pandemic. As such, ICLEI’s EcoLogistics initiatives are exploring innovative solutions to tackle the last-mile problem and to decarbonize the freight sector.
This session will focus on innovative solutions that are available to address last-mile deliveries. Panelists will discuss the challenge to the last-mile delivery, what strategies they are taking to address this and how they are preparing for a post-COVID future in developing a more sustainable urban freight system.