Sustainable transport business opportunities
Delivery services might not be in short supply, but rather than tacking on sustainability after the fact, some bold startups are launching with exclusively green fleets.
For example, Green Courier claims its fleet of low-emission bikes, electric vans, motorcycles and cars is one of the most environmentally-friendly in the UK.
Or there’s London-based Ecofleet, a delivery service that uses a fleet of carbon-neutral electric vehicles deliver consignments from its warehouse to you or your clients. As well as sustainable vehicles, Ecofleet’s optimisation software determines the fastest and most efficient delivery route. And its ethical considerations go beyond the environment. Unlike many delivery services, it doesn’t operate on a gig model – all employees are in secure, full-time employment.
While these last-mile carriers are performing a vital service, it’s long-haul freight that really needs a green revolution, though this might require significantly more capital to enter into as a business idea. There are already a number of solutions, but they’re yet to enter the mass market.
There are also opportunities to develop software that improves the sustainability of transport. According to a recent report from office supplies and workplace solutions firm Lyreco, companies are missing the chance to make a 58% saving in carbon emissions by not consolidating deliveries. What about developing a system that helps companies deal with the logistics of consolidation or other sustainability strategies?
It’s not just about deliveries, we also need to think about transporting ourselves more efficiently. The Green Commute Initiative (GCI) is a social enterprise that encourages commuters to ditch their cars and cycle in instead through its cycle to work scheme. Or there’s Octopus Electric Vehicles, which offers electric vehicles on contract hire and runs a ‘Go Green Car Scheme’.
Or you could cut out the transport bit altogether. If your avocados have had to travel by plane, train and automobile before you inevitably slice your hand open whilst trying to get the stone out, you’ve caused a lot of damage to the ozone layer, and to your hand.
if you’re a small, local business, make more of it! More and more people are recognising that one of the most environmentally-conscious decisions they can make is to buy local products and services, minimising the impact of transportation.
via https://www.AiUpNow.com/ by Henry Williams, Khareem Sudlow
