Roadway in City of London, with buses, vans, and a cyclist. Photograph by Ruoyu Li.

Health effects of air pollution

What can businesses do to reduce air pollution from freight?

The transition to a greener freight system will rely on joined-up thinking and fresh policies from the Government. But businesses can take positive steps now to reduce air pollution and its harmful effects on people’s health.

Matt Towner

Director of Programmes

UK businesses of all sizes, from multinational companies to independent stores, rely on the movement of goods, often on congested roads. The UK’s freight system is the backbone of our economy. But it’s outdated, inefficient and a major contributor to air pollution in cities that’s damaging our health.

Business can’t change the freight system alone. Support and incentives are needed from national and local government to transition to a more sustainable and efficient system of freight. We’ve made recommendations to policymakers to make this happen.

If businesses make changes to reduce emissions from freight, it will improve air quality and health in cities. But there is also a strong and compelling business case for companies to adopt cleaner freight practices too:

Research shows 75% of businesses benefit commercially while going green. And 85% of consumers are more likely to buy from a business with a reputation for sustainability.
Delivery and service vehicles already account for a third of peak road traffic and drivers spend an average of 71 hours a year in gridlock during peak hours.
Air pollution affects the health of the workforce. Poor employee health is expensive. Sick days, poor mental health and loss of experienced staff to illness reduce productivity and incur additional costs for business.

Through our work we’ve identified business-friendly ways to reduce air pollution from freight, both at the point of purchase and delivery. That’s why we’re asking businesses to:

Measure their polluting emissions

We’ve been working with environmental consultancy Ricardo to develop a new method for businesses to measure their contribution to toxic air pollution by emitting gases like nitrogen oxides and particulate matter.

The Air Pollution Footprint Partnership gives businesses tools and information to estimate and report air pollutant emissions, alongside greenhouse gas emissions. It’s an essential starting point for businesses wanting to move towards more sustainable practices. It enables companies to be transparent about where they are now and set clear targets for where they want to be.

Taking a proactive approach to measuring and reporting on polluting emissions has a host of business benefits. And it’s good for people and the planet.

It helps businesses to stay ahead of regulations.

It improves environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings and demonstrates leadership to socially responsible consumers and investors.

And, crucially, it’s better for the bottom line. A study sponsored by the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) found that most small and medium sized businesses that manage their environmental impact save money.

‘Nudge’ online shoppers towards greener delivery options

We worked with Centre for London to test whether online shoppers could be ‘nudged’ to choose greener delivery options. The study found shoppers who were informed about the environmental impact of home deliveries, and convenient alternatives, at online checkouts chose Click & Collect 71% of the time.

But for this to be a viable option for more businesses and consumers, parcel pick-up and drop-off (PUDO) points need to be more accessible. To learn more about how policymakers can make this happen, check out our recommendations for Government.

Use vehicles that don’t pollute (like cargo bikes) to transport goods and services

Cargo bikes are often cheaper, faster, and cleaner alternatives to diesel vans in cities, particularly for last-mile deliveries.

We partnered with Team London Bridge and MP Smarter Travel on an 18-month project offering local businesses subsidies and support to switch to cargo bike deliveries. The project evaluation found businesses that tried cargo bikes reported more efficient and reliable deliveries, improved staff wellbeing, and environmental sustainability as the main benefits.

We also worked with Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust to find out if it could use e-bikes to reduce its contribution to air pollution. The Trust is a major local employer, one that sees firsthand the health effects of air pollution on its patients and staff.

One way of reducing the Trust’s polluting emissions was to look at how neighbourhood nurses could use e-bikes. This team usually uses cars to visit patients at home. Instead, they used e-bikes with large panniers to transport nursing equipment. Nurses that cycled to community visits, rather than driving on congested roads, reported better physical and mental health. And the team’s environmental impact was reduced.

The upfront costs of cargo bikes and the need to recruit and train riders can stop companies making the shift to sustainable deliveries. We’ve got recommendations for how the Government can encourage the uptake of cargo bikes in urban areas.

Improve working practices so the freight sector offers good and fair work

Cargo bikes can only provide a workable solution if the sector can recruit, train, and support skilled riders. We worked with the University of Westminster to discover what this emerging sector needs to provide good work, pay and conditions to cargo bike riders.

Delivering Good Work: Labour, employment and wellbeing in London’s cargo bike sector makes practical recommendations to improve riders’ working conditions and reduce the job’s impact on health and wellbeing. It calls for better cycling infrastructure, an industry alliance to advocate for the sector, and for businesses to provide good, green, gainful jobs. This means paying riders the living wage, offering equal benefits and HR support, and providing extensive safety training.