Last-mile freight deliveries have been in the spotlight for a few years now. The need to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution in cities and to give back spaces to

How can last-mile logistics be planned and operated sustainably using simulation and AI? This article describes how Aimsun is facilitating the analysis of new last-mile delivery concepts within the GREEN-LOG project.

Imagine you are a shopkeeper needing to dispatch a delivery to a nearby location. The most straightforward approach would be to contact local Logistics Service Providers (LSPs) to determine the most appealing delivery option. But what defines 'appealing'? For some, it's the fastest delivery; for others, the cheapest; or perhaps for others, the most sustainable option. However, more often than not, our decisions are swayed by price.

Almost all attempts to decrease the impact of the last-mile go through the carrier. Carriers are asked to consolidate in hubs, use pick-up points, or deliver outside specific time windows to reduce emissions and kilometres in dense urban areas. Yet, the effects of these attempts are somewhat limited. The lack of success is due to a combination of unsustainable business models, a reluctance to collaborate, and a hyper-competitive market. Just for the sake of it, companies are not going to change their optimised operations.

As the quest for sustainable solutions in city logistics gains momentum, innovative collaborative business models are emerging as key contributors towards this transformation. These emerging business models strive to revolutionise last-mile delivery services, focusing on resilient and eco-friendly solutions that can benefit the urban environment, while optimising the operations of the service providers. New interventions are sprawling across various areas, from the usage of autonomous vehicles and droids/bots to the establishment of micro-consolidation centers in public spaces and the implementation of cargo-hitching initiatives.

In our ever-evolving world, the buzzword “Sustainability” resonates in our ears across all sectors. Among varied facets of sustainability, “Sustainable Logistics” or “Green Logistics”, has become one of the most heard ones since our thoughts gravitate toward carbon emissions from vehicles by having transportation a cornerstone of our lives.

The urban distribution of goods encompasses the entire flow of merchandise that occurs within a city. This includes not only the final step of the supply-chain (i.e., its last mile) but all the operations associated with delivery, collection, transfer, loading and unloading, placement at points of sale, and return of reverse logistics.

Several industry-led initiatives had shown that pooling resources may help ameliorate the last-mile logistics and the related operations, while at the same time satisfying customers' expectations for fast, error-free and on-time delivery.

Living Labs (LLs) provide collaborative environments where stakeholders can experiment and test innovative solutions in real-world settings. In the realm of city logistics, LLs offer a platform for stakeholders to co-create and co-design interventions that enhance the efficiency, sustainability, and resilience of urban logistics systems.

The GREEN-LOG project aims to accelerate the shift to sustainable and smart mobility in last mile delivery by introducing a Marketplace as a solution, which targets the link from the suppliers to the consumers in a more sustainable and eco-friendly way.

The world is experiencing an unparalleled growth in last-mile transport following the unprecedented growth of e-commerce. The steep curve is expected to continue in the years to come, fueled by