Carbon Dioxide Benefits of Using Collection–Delivery Points for Failed Home Deliveries in the United Kingdom

Unlike much of the previous research on this topic, which assesses the economic consequences of failed deliveries to the home, this study examines the issue of failed delivery from a carbon-auditing perspective. It considers the potential environmental savings from the use of alternative forms of collection and delivery over traditional delivery methods for failed home deliveries. With a spreadsheet carbon audit model, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for a failed delivery are calculated on the basis of a typical van home delivery round of 120 drops and 50-mi (80-km) distance. Three first-time delivery failure rates (10%, 30%, and 50%) are assessed. The additional CO2 from a second delivery attempt increases the emissions per drop by 9% to 75% (depending on the delivery failure rate). The vast majority (85% to 95%) of emissions emanating from a traditional failed delivery arise not from the repeat van delivery but from the personal travel associated with the customer’s collecting a missed redelivery from the carrier’s local depot. A range of collection–delivery points (CDPs) (supermarkets, post offices, railway stations) were all found to reduce the environmental impact of this personal travel. Post offices (currently operating a CDP system through the U.K. Royal Mail’s Local Collect service) yielded the greatest savings, creating just 13% of the CO2 produced by a traditional collection by car from a local depot. Overall, the research suggests that the use of CDPs offers a convenient and more environmentally friendly alternative to redelivery and customer collection from a local parcel depot.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.3141/2191-17
• Summary URL:
  http://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=Carbon+Dioxide+Benefits+of+Using+Collection%e2%ac%1cDelivery+Points+for+Failed+Home+Deliveries+in+the+United+Kingdom&author=J.+Edwards&author=A.+McKinnon&author=T.+Cherrett&author=F.+Mcleod&author=L.+Song&publication_year=2010
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/Energy_and_Global_Climate_Change_2010_164973.aspx
• Authors:
  • Edwards, Julia
  • McKinnon, Alan
  • Cherrett, Tom
  • Mcleod, Fraser
  • Song, Liying
• Publication Date: 2010

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 136-143
• Monograph Title: Energy and Global Climate Change 2010
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
  • Issue Number: 2191
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Carbon dioxide; Delivery service; Environmental impacts; Exhaust gases; Package service
• Uncontrolled Terms: Collection and delivery points; Failed home deliveries
• Geographic Terms: United Kingdom
• Subject Areas: Environment; Freight Transportation; I15: Environment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01155004
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9780309160667
• Report/Paper Numbers: 10-1901
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Apr 21 2010 8:09AM