Co-op has 'bagged' its first electric vehicles for online home delivery as it unveils plans today (Thursday, 10, December) to replace its fleet of fossil-fuel powered home delivery vans by 2025.
The convenience retailer is committed to accelerating zero emission deliveries in order to further reduce direct greenhouse gas emissions, starting with stores in Hebden Bridge; Holmfirth and Hove this month, followed by stores in Ryde, Isle of Wight and Whitby which take delivery of electric vehicles early next year to enable groceries ordered through Co-op’s own online shop - coop.co.uk/shop – to be delivered using electric vehicles.
Co-op became the first British retailer to become a signatory of the UN’s ‘Our Only Future’ campaign, and is committed to minimising its environmental impact. It sources only 100% renewable electricity for all of its food stores, offices and funeral homes. Last year, it confirmed that it had already halved its greenhouse gas emissions in the ten years from 2006, and announced that it has committed to further reductions in its GHG emissions of 50% by 2025.
Chris Conway, Head of eCommerce, Co-op, said, “Our focus is to continue to innovate and look for new and better ways to do business in our communities and to expand access to our products and services.
In addition to offering quality and value quickly, easily and conveniently, we need to do this sustainably, and by replacing all our own vehicles and working collaboratively with partners with shared values we can ensure we further reduce greenhouse gas emissions which is essential if we are to have a healthy and sustainable natural environment to pass on to future generations.”
Co-op’s online offer sees stores act as micro-distribution hubs locally, orders are picked from stores in the community so that the High Street benefits from any increase in online demand.
In addition to replacing all its own home delivery vehicles, Co-op works with partners who use low and zero emission transport, including Deliveroo – where Co-op is the most widely available supermarket on the Deliveroo App. Working with Starship Technologies there are zero emission robot deliveries in Milton Keynes and Northampton.
Additionally, Stuart – the last mile platform – which delivers on behalf of Co-op at over 180 of its food stores, has been trialling a range of green delivery vehicles, including e-mopeds and cargo bicycles - they aim to expand this across the Co-op stores it works with in cities including Birmingham, Liverpool, London and Manchester over the next two years.
By the end of this year, Co-op will offer online shopping with home delivery through its own site coop.co.uk/shop and with partners – which include Deliveroo; Pinga (East London); BuyMie (Bristol) and autonomous robot deliveries with Starship Technologies in Milton Keynes and Northampton - from more than 1,000 of its stores.