SBIA PARTNER PROFILE DPD
DPD Driving Change As well as its goal to be the most sustainable parcel delivery company in Ireland, DPD has supported the Lough Ree Access for All charity to purchase a wheelchair-accessible boat
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n 2020, leading Irish parcel delivery company, DPD Ireland experienced unprecedented growth. Now, it sets its sights on a new ambition: to be the most sustainable parcel delivery company on the island of Ireland. Their 2025 vision includes fleet electrification and smart urban delivery to reduce CO2 per parcel -30% by 2025. Sustainability is a core pillar of DPD’s business. Sustainability Programme Manager, James Atkinson says: “As part of our sustainability strategy, we want to significantly reduce the CO2 emissions of our delivery vehicles, which represent more than half of our emissions. We already reduce emissions where possible by using the newest, cleanest vans with Euro VI or better engines, avoiding unnecessary journeys by promoting use of Eircodes and using route optimisation technology to make our stops in as few miles as possible.” Beyond transport emissions, DPD Ireland are also working to reduce the impact of their operations which include their network of depots North and South of the border, as well as their central sorting hub in Athlone, where they are conducting an energy efficiency audit as part of an SEAI Excellence in Energy Efficient Design application. Furthermore, they are helping their customers to reduce their own packaging footprint through their ’Good packaging practice’ engagement project, starting a conversation with their customers, encouraging a move away from single use packaging on bulk shipments, and towards returnable shipping boxes that can be folded down and reused multiple times. ACCESS FOR ALL One of the main attractions in the vicinity of DPD’s Athlone hub is Lough Ree.
DPD IRELAND IS LEADING THE CHARGE TOWARDS ELECTRIC VEHICLES AS PART OF A €2M FLEET DECARBONISATION PROGRAMME. THE PARCEL DELIVERY FIRM HAS ALREADY DEPLOYED 30 NEW ELECTRIC DELIVERY VEHICLES IN 2021 AND IT PLANS TO HAVE 250 ELECTRIC VEHICLES ON IRISH ROADS BY 2025. The lake is one of the premier angling locations in Ireland and is renowned for its pike stocks. The Lough Ree Access for All charity was formed to make access to the lake and water-based experiences accessible to people with disabilities. With the support of DPD, Lough Ree Access for All has benefitted from a custom-designed boat to allow easy access for wheelchair users, people with disabilities and special needs to access the waterways. The service is open to all visitors to the Ballyleague-
Lanesboro area, with three boat trips daily adding a welcome boost to tourism in the locality. The boat was custom built in Tallinn, Finland and is the first boat of its kind licensed for use in Ireland. It can carry up to eight wheelchair users plus crew (although with COVID-19 restrictions, only four wheelchairs, two helpers and two crew could be on board at any time). It operates in a similar manner to a car ferry, meaning wheelchairs users can roll on and roll off rather than needing to be lifted or hoisted aboard. The project, originally the idea of volunteer Alan Broderick, took six years to complete, in consultation with wheelchair users and the disabled community, including Irish Wheelchair Association and Independent Living Movement, informing the design. We already reduce emissions where possible by using the newest, cleanest vans with Euro VI or better engines, avoiding unnecessary journeys by promoting use of Eircodes and using route optimisation technology.
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