Germany-based DHL, a logistics company that specialises in international shipping, courier services and transportation, announced on Thursday, March 16, that it has opened a new climate-neutral CityHub in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
DHL Parcels are carried to the northwest region of Amsterdam from the climate-neutral building at Westhavenweg 44. Next week will be the debut of the new Aalsmeer site.
With this, there are now seven CityHubs available to serve the Amsterdam area. The idea behind these CityHubs is in accordance with the capital city’s goals to improve sustainable municipal logistics.
Sustainable logistics
The CityHubs in Amsterdam-West and Aalsmeer are gas-free and furnished with solar cells that can be used to recharge electric vehicles. They are still waiting for some of the electric delivery vehicles, whose arrival is presently postponed globally.
By refilling with (HVO) biodiesel in the meantime, the CO2 impact is diminished.
Currently, parcels from tens of thousands of senders are daily packaged and transported into the city and neighbourhoods from the seven CityHubs in the Amsterdam area.
Short distances, smart routes, a high load factor, and a fleet that is primarily electric, work together to maximise sustainability and minimise traffic moves. On these routes, packages are also picked up and brought to the 250 DHL service locations.
This also applies to the parcel safes, the number of which will increase to 100 in the city this year (not including the increasing number in office buildings, workplaces, and public institutions like hospitals).
Such out-of-home deliveries, where the consumer collects his own package, are seen as even more sustainable.
A network of 131 CityHubs
Currently, DHL operates a network of 131 CityHubs across the Netherlands, where parcel flows are combined locally and nationally and distributed along short, efficient routes.
These centres are the focus of a sizable investment initiative worth €350M, in which 27 new climate-neutral CityHubs are being constructed that adhere to the BREEAM Outstanding sustainability standard.
Similar sustainable branches have already opened in recent months in Almere, Zoetermeer, Geleen, Breda, Nijmegen, Tilburg, Roermond, and Leeuwarden; the remaining branches will do so later this year and next year.
With 2,200 electric delivery trucks operating out of CityHubs, DHL Parcel now has the country’s biggest inventory of electric delivery vans.
Even though these are not sizable delivery hubs, one issue DHL Parcel faces is the lack of places where CityHubs can be set up.
In order to locate appropriate (redevelopment) sites, a campaign is being run, and particularly in Rotterdam-South, Zaandam, Haarlemmerliede, and Amsterdam-East, additional CityHubs still need to be built.
About DHL
DHL is a logistics company that offers expertise in air and ocean freight, road and train transportation, industrial supply chain management, domestic and foreign express parcel shipment, and e-commerce and fulfilment services.
Currently, the company’s global network spans more than 220 nations with 395,000 workers. This improves trade movements by establishing safe and dependable connections between individuals and companies.
DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group. In 2022, the Group generated more than €94B in revenue. The company claims to achieve emission-free logistics in 2050 out of a sense of social duty and dedication to society and the environment.
