As the business world slowly gets back to normal after the Covid-19 lockdowns, it is easy to forget what a strange period we’ve all lived through.
For all the heartache and inconvenience that the pandemic caused, we shouldn’t lose sight of some of the good things that emerged too. Things like community, an appreciation of our key workers and – one of my favourites – cleaner air.
Unsurprisingly, the dramatic reduction in road traffic in UK cities saw huge declines in pollution. It was the ultimate Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) experiment, with fewer vehicles on the road meaning less emissions.
I find myself sitting in a funny place. My natural inclination is to support councils that want to cut dangerous levels of CO2 and NOx, but I understand why many businesses baulk at the perceived cost and disruption.
Since 25 October, central London’s ULEZ has been expanded to cover a larger area up to, but not including, the North Circular (A406) and South Circular (A205). The scheme is designed to improve London’s air quality, which means only vehicles that meet the latest emissions standards will avoid the fine.
Traditional delivery companies naturally take the view that ULEZ schemes, such as the now-expanded one in London, hamper commerce and cost companies money. But simultaneously, Transport for London has projected a 43% increase in the kilometres travelled by vans between 2019 and 2041, which will have huge knock-on effects for congestion and air pollution.
I’d say that ULEZ schemes don’t have to cost companies money – and in fact, their introduction gives businesses in cities the chance to re-evaluate what they are doing when it comes to sustainability, and get more in line with public opinion. Now is the time to look at how your business is delivering in urban centres and avoid the additional charge through zero-emission options.
Ultimately, it’s about what your customers think. There’s no doubt that the general public wants a cleaner world, though you probably would be hard-pressed to claim most people want higher charges. They just want logistics companies to sort it out so they can make the right choice for a variety of reasons.
For pure e-commerce companies, outgoing logistics can be as much as 93% of their footprint, so the overall reduction for them would be 76% if they swapped to urban zero-emission deliveries.
Sure, the introduction of ULEZ-type schemes across the country is going to present challenges. But they certainly don’t have to be problems. The pandemic showed everyone that new ways of thinking are possible, and that we can embrace a better way of doing things.
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