(Credit: Pixabay)More than 500 delivery businesses worldwide have collectively cut more than 11,000 metric tons of carbon emissions thanks to their adoption of route optimization technology. This is according to emissions data released by Vancouver-based tech company Routific today and audited by Offsetters Clean Technology.
The report is the final step in the due diligence process for a $1.8 million grant awarded to Routific by Sustainable Development Technology Canada, a foundation created by the Government of Canada to fund new clean technologies.
Routific's 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 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2019.
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 more than 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.
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.
