Last kilometer delivery: towards a decarbonized urban logistics

The final kilometre, the final step from delivery to the final customer, accounts for about 25% of urban greenhouse gas emissions. It also accounts for 20% of traffic and 30% of road occupancy. This phase, although short, is the most expensive and polluting in the supply chain. At a time when the national low-carbon strategy aims to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030, the last kilometre of delivery appears to be a critical issue.

If the electrification of vehicles is an obvious lever, it will not suffice. The challenge is also organizational: we must rethink logistics circuits, pool flows, adapt infrastructure and act on usages.

In view of this, several types of solutions have emerged, supported in particular by ADEME as part of its programme. eXtrême Logistics Challenge. Three main models are studied:

1. Urban Distribution Centres (CDUs) These warehouses located on the periphery mutualize the flows of various carriers, then organise optimized tours to the city centres. They can reduce emissions by up to 13%, but their sustainability depends on a difficult economic balance to achieve. Sustainable projects rely on public support and value-added services such as storage or order preparation.

2. Logistic microhubs : installed in the heart of cities (often on parking spaces), these mini-platforms facilitate the delivery of the last kilometer by car. Flexible, mobile, temporary or durable, they meet a need for proximity. However, their deployment depends on the availability of land and an ecosystem conducive to cyclologistics.

3. The mutualization of short food circuits In rural areas, producers pool their deliveries to cities to avoid inefficient individual journeys. This implies coordination between actors (producers, communities, chambers of agriculture) and dedicated structures (such as Scic).

A bold innovation comes from Spain: the use of metro as an urban delivery tool. In Madrid, a pilot project was launched with the collaboration of the public transport company and a logistics operator. The idea is to use out-of-peak trains to transport parcels to city centres, with redistribution hubs close to stations.

This underground logistics allows to bypass traffic jams, reduce environmental impact and fluidize distribution in dense areas. It is part of a decarbonisation logic, without the need to build new infrastructure.

Whatever the model, all the experiments lead to the same conclusion: without active community intervention, urban logistics transition remains marginal. The market alone is not enough to structure fragmented or economically fragile initiatives.

Communities have several roles to play:

• Facilitate access to logistical land;

• Create incentives (taxes, regulations);

• Support the sharing of flows;

• Support local experiments;

• Integrate these schemes into urban planning plans.

The delivery of the last kilometre is an essential lever for achieving climate goals. Innovative solutions exist, between underground logistics, shared hubs, cyclologistics and redesigned short circuits. But they need to be structured, supported and accompanied to get out of the experimental stage. The transformation of urban logistics is not only a technical issue, it is a land project.

ACTE International Network