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Office Depot has switched to pedal powered cargo cycles for 75 per cent of its deliveries within the City of London.
The idea behind the cargo cycles, supplied by Gnewt Group, is to be environmentally friendly as well as cheap and efficient for inner cities by avoiding congestion charge, parking and fuel costs.
Green credentials can also be passed along to recipients of deliveries who are looking further up the supply chain when considering their own carbon footprints; such as Capita Group and Marks & Spencer as part of its Plan A programme.
The cycles are battery assisted and each one can carry 50 cartons of office supplies at a time. There are eight of the vehicles working in rotation to make 900 drops a day. The fleet is supported by an electric van which acts as an on-the-road hub, replenishing supplies and assisting with heavier items like paper. The cycles are based at the company’s central London depot.
The cargo cycles have been operating since November, and Office Depot plans to extend its fleet and roll out similar schemes further across London, and then to Manchester, Birmingham and Leicester.
