Black Friday reveals urgent need for freight delivery reform
Urgent reform of the freight delivery sector is needed to tackle the escalating air pollution crisis in UK cities, according to a charity.
Impact on Urban Health, a charity aimed at addressing health inequalities in urban areas, is calling for action as emissions from retail trucking are set to spike by more than 90% in Europe during Black Friday week compared to an average week.
In total,1.2 million tons of CO2 will be released into the air by trucks transporting packages to warehouses and stores around Europe during the week, underscoring the need for cleaner, more sustainable delivery solutions.
It comes as the UK faces an air quality crisis, potentially responsible for 43,000 deaths a year, it claimed, and which disproportionately affects children, people in lower income areas, and people from minoritised communities. Between 2017-2025 the health effects of air pollution could cost the NHS and social care up to £5.56 billion, it claimed.
In the UK alone, Black Friday alone is projected to contribute over 429,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions in one day due to millions of parcel deliveries.
While the charity admitted that freight underpins the seamless flow of commerce, it is responsible for producing harmful nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) emissions. Of all transport emissions in London, Large Goods Vehicles (LGVs) and Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) contribute to over 25% of NOX, PM2.5 and PM10 to London’s overall transport emissions.
It called on the government to:
- Facilitating joined-up thinking on freight: Impact on Urban Health propose a central government “last mile” task force bringing together relevant departments, government agencies, businesses, and those most impacted by the health effects of air pollution to engage in co-creation of sustainable freight alternatives and promote their uptake.
- Develop a national, open-network Pick up and Drop Off (PUDO) strategy: ‘Last mile’ home deliveries increase congestion and air pollution. Giving more people the option to walk or cycle to send or collect a parcel can help to reduce air pollution from delivery vans in residential areas. One parcel locker reduces CO² emissions by as much as 13,845 kg per year.
In the longer term, the charity is also calling on the government to support businesses to access less polluting delivery vehicles, like cargo bikes.
Matt Towner, Director of Programmes at Impact on Health, said:
“Since the pandemic we’ve seen an increase in ‘on demand’ deliveries, particularly in urban areas, which has had a significant impact on air quality. Air pollution is bad for health, it’s bad for business, our high streets, and our environment.
“Because air pollution disproportionately affects minoritised communities, people in lower income areas, and children it’s reinforcing structural inequalities. But the solutions exist now.”
Image from Shutterstock
