Acronym: CodeZERO
Title: ‘Co-design of E-commerce last mile delivery and return options with zero emissions.’
Call: HORIZON-CL5-2023-D6-01-06
EU nr: 101146909
Period: 36 months : 1/6/2024-31/5/27
Budget : €2,996,790.00 vub : 401,505.00 €
Contact: Prof. dr. Cathy Macharis
At ERIS we got the chance to interview Cathy and ask her 2 questions:
What is CodeZERO about?
The overarching general objective of CodeZERO is to investigate and develop innovative zero-emission delivery solutions for last-mile e-commerce deliveries and return options by integrating the perspectives of all various stakeholders. Doing so, CodeZERO can propose a new possible equilibrium in e-commerce where negative impacts from the environmental, economic, and societal side can be reduced. In addressing the question of more sustainable delivery solutions, CodeZERO will not only embrace the reduction of greenhouse gas and pollutants’ emissions from e-commerce deliveries but will also focus on other types of negative impacts such as those on safety, occupancy of public space as well as on delivery costs and working conditions of transport companies’ employees. Attention will be also given to understanding how alternative sustainable solutions might promote diversity, equality, and inclusion and integrate them within the EU transport sector.
Why is CodeZERO important for VUB?
In the VUB, the research group Mobilise has an extensive expertise in sustainable logistics, researching pathways to reduce externalities by avoiding transport operations (e.g. consolidation centres), creating awareness amongst stakeholders (e.g. external cost calculations), anticipating new technologies (e.g. electric road systems) and shift demand to more sustainable modes (e.g. cargobikes and intermodal transport). Within the scope of sustainable logistics, the group focus on different topics such as e-commerce, circular logistics, short supply chains, consolidation centres, last mile logistics, and inter- and synchro-modal transport). CodeZERO is important because it allows us to explore further the topic of ecommerce and investigate how we can leverage the potential of ecommerce to make urban distribution more sustainable.
In CodeZERO, we will contribute especially on the two following aspects in ecommerce. First we will be able to analyse in detail the online shopping behaviour of customers with a large scale survey spread over 10 european countries. Thanks to this research, we will better understand the consumers and identify how we can support them in making more sustainable delivery choices. Second, we will be able to codesign sustainable solutions together with online customers, retailers, transporters and local authorities. By compiling different approaches relevant to open discussions with the stakeholders, we will propose a methodology in CodeZERO to run different workshops in Italy, Belgium, Norway and Netherlands.
Aim (What)
CodeZERO is a three-year project aiming to co-create sustainable and zero-emission last-mile delivery and return solution for e-commerce that are also attractive to consumers.
Methodology How)
It is articulated in four phases:
-An ANALYSIS phase which provides
(1) an analysis of existing delivery and return options and an understanding of how they are shaped by the needs and constraints of all involved stakeholders;
(2) an in-depth intersectional analysis of various groups of on-line consumers to understand what are the features of delivery and return options making them attractive, with the aim to identify mechanisms to incentivize behaviour changes; and
(3) an assessment framework development to measure the impacts in the environmental, economic and social domains of new solutions.
-A DESIGN phase, in which CodeZERO engages in a co-design process involving retailers, transport operators, consumers and local authorities in developing
(1) guidelines for retailers to raise awareness among customers;
(2) a set of zero-emission and sustainable delivery and return options for retailers and transport operators; and (3) a toolset for local authorities to accelerate the transition towards sustainable solutions in last mile consignments in e-commerce.
-A TEST phase running 4 pilots in 4 different European cities in Italy, The Netherlands, Belgium, and Norway to test a set of sustainable solutions identified in the previous phase with the aim to prove their feasibility, to fine-tune their design and to assess their impacts from the perspective of all stakeholders.
Impact (Why)
The last phase refers to the impact CodeZERO will set off:
-A CONSOLIDATION phase where :
(1) CodeZERO outcomes are fine-tuned based on the lessons learned from real life applications,
(2) requirements for up-scaling of solutions at European level are discussed
(3) recommendations are formulated and
(4) directions for future research are outlined.
Engagement with consumers and retailers’ associations, industry stakeholders, cities and researchers contributes to shaping its results.