French express parcels specialist Chronopost is driving towards fully CO2-neutral operations by switching to deliveries with low-emission vehicles throughout Paris and launching its first micro-depots in the capital.
Presenting the new services earlier this week, Martin Piechowski, President of Chronopost, declared: “We are opening a new chapter in the way our transport industry supports its customers’ expectations and is part of what is known as environmental responsibility.
“Historically, the means available to tackle this issue were considered, openly or not, as a constraint. At Chronopost, we have long since decided to see it as an opportunity to open a new path to our industry, provided, of course, to have the courage, the desire and the means to engage.”
In Paris, the express operator, part of La Poste’s DPDgroup network, has been delivering throughout the entire city with low-emission vehicles (electric or natural gas) since mid-September. This represents 25,000 parcels daily on 230 delivery routes.
The fleet of the express carrier is composed of 190 electric vehicles (Nissan with bodywork by the equipment supplier Voltia, cargo bikes and trolleys) and 40 NGV vehicles. The implementation of this initiative reduces 87% of CO2 emissions, i.e. 560 tonnes of CO2 avoided (99% of fine particles).
But Paris is only a first step for Chronopost. By the end of 2019, 300 new low emission vehicles will be rolled out throughout the country. They will be complemented by a second wave of more than 200 new vehicles by July 2020, spread across 11 major cities (Strasbourg, Lille, Rouen, Nantes, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Lyon, Marseille and Nice) and the outlying Parisian suburbs.
ChronoCity for urban final-mile deliveries
In a second initiative, the company has launched its first ChronoCity micro-depots. Located in the city centre, these micro-locations with an area of less than 500 sqm are intended to get closer to the end consignees by combining two spaces into one to improve customer experience.
One part of the ChronoCity outlet is an operational section where up to 1,000 parcels are prepared for delivery in the surrounding neighbourhood on 15 daily local routes. Deliveries are made by bicycle, on foot or in an electric vehicle.
The other part is a retail counter where customers can send, receive or return parcels but also take advantage of value-added services such as trying on clothes in a changing room or testing electronic devices before taking them home.
The first ChronoCity locations are in Boulogne-Billancourt, Levallois-Perret and the 14th and 20th districts of Paris. They open for customers weekdays until 19:00 and on Saturdays until 14:00.
Since 2005, Chronopost has already operated an ‘Urban Logistics Area’ close to Place de la Concorde in central Paris for final-mile deliveries to surrounding areas.
Overall, the express operator has so far invested €20 million in these measures, including on property and fleet, and expects to spend a further €30 million by 2022. In 2018, Chronopost delivered nearly 171 million parcels in total.
