Delivery businesses cut 11,322 tonnes of carbon emissions: report

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 25, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- More than 500 delivery businesses worldwide have collectively cut more than 11,000 tonnes of carbon emissions thanks to their adoption of route optimization technology, according to a report audited and verified by Offsetters Clean Technology.

The carbon emissions savings were released by Vancouver-based tech company Routific today, and have been validated by a third-party environmental auditing team at Offsetters, a leading provider of sustainability and carbon-management solutions.

The report is the final step in the due diligence process for a $1.8M grant awarded to Routific by Sustainable Development Technology Canada - a foundation created by the Government of Canada to fund new clean technologies.

"Significant GHG benefits are realized with Routific's technology," said Simon Phillips, director of clean technology projects at Offsetters. "Their technology will help delivery companies across the globe create close to optimal delivery routes, which will reduce distance traveled, fuel costs, possibly the fleet size, and increase overall efficiency."

Routific's leading route optimization platform, inspired by the foraging behaviors of honey bees, leverages advanced algorithms powered by artificial intelligence. The technology shortens delivery routes by an average of 20%, lowering congestion in major urban areas, and helping delivery fleets reduce their fuel consumption and time spent on the road.

The result has been a reduction in 11,322 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in 2019 alone, the equivalent of planting more than 500,000 trees.

'Last Mile' deliveries to worsen commutes, increase pollutants

The World Economic Forum projects a 36% rise in the number of delivery vehicles in the top 100 cities globally by 2030. Researchers estimate emissions from last mile delivery traffic will increase by nearly a third, and congestion will rise by over 21%.

Faced with the burden of manual route planning, rising fuel costs, and an increased awareness of the climate crisis, delivery businesses have turned to cleantech solutions like route optimization algorithms.

72% of delivery businesses still plan routes manually

Still, many local delivery businesses remain in the dark. Routific surveyed 11,246 businesses and uncovered a shocking truth: 72% of them are still planning the routes for their delivery drivers manually.

"Awareness is key. Every business needs to take our world's climate seriously, for our future and to ensure the health and well-being of future generations," said Routific Founder and CEO, Marc Kuo.

"Route optimization technology not only saves a business time, money, and fuel, it also drastically reduces a company's carbon footprint. It's win-win. On the other end, consumers can support the cause by choosing to use a green delivery business that has adopted route optimization technology. This is a way the general public can hold delivery businesses responsible for their carbon footprint."

About Routific:

Routific is a route optimization solution – inspired by the foraging behaviors of honey bees – that helps local delivery businesses plan and optimize delivery routes. More than 500 delivery businesses worldwide trust Routific's technology to help them lower their carbon emissions by an average of 20%. Routific investors include Sustainable Technology Development Canada, Techstars Chicago, and Axiom Zen.

Quotes:

"SDTC is proud to support Routific's cleantech innovation. Routific is reducing fuel costs and emissions in the last leg of the delivery supply chain with breakthrough algorithms powered by artificial intelligence. These algorithms have shown a 20% improvement in fuel efficiency and reduction in fuel cost."
– Leah Lawrence, President and CEO of Sustainable Development Technology Canada

"Since our founding in 1994, Avron has cared for the development of our most precious generation – children – and we will continue to improve our business to provide a better future for them. Being socially responsible has always been a pillar in our business. With the adoption of route optimization software, we've implemented a number of initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint. This saves us a lot of time planning and executing delivery routes, greatly reduces our delivery fleet's fuel consumption, and the amount of time spent on the road. Now we're able to make more deliveries in less time, and ensure our entire fleet is utilized as efficiently as possible."
– Avron Distribution, leading supplier of educational, multi-sensory resources.

"Green leaders like Routific play a huge role in moving the dial towards a cleaner, more resilient future. Routific's approach is both simple and brilliant, drawing inspiration from bee flight paths to optimize commercial delivery routes and cut both emissions and costs."
– Juvarya Veltkamp, Manager of Green Economy Initiatives at the Vancouver Economic Commission.

Quick Facts:

• In 2019 alone, more than 500 delivery businesses worldwide cut 11,322 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of planting more than 500,000 trees.
• Carbon emission savings reported by Routific have been validated by a third-party environmental auditor, Offsetters Solutions Inc., as part of the due diligence process for a $1.8M grant from Sustainable Development Technology Canada.
• Route optimization software has been proven to help delivery businesses reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 20%.
• Routific is a cleantech company that builds route optimization software for delivery businesses.
• Routific's mission is to curb greenhouse gas emissions by making route optimization technology accessible to every local delivery business in the world.

SOURCE Routific