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H&M Looks to Cut Carbon Footprint of Online Deliveries

Monday, December 16, 2019 - 10:11 by Graham Miller

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A new delivery scheme being trialled by fashion brand H&M in the Netherlands will see a lower-carbon approach taken to getting products to customers who have placed orders via safe shopping online.

Rather than relying on gas-guzzling vans, people living in certain areas will be able to get their clothing delivered via a bike courier, with a number of hubs being operated to make sure coverage is adequate to meet demand.

The bike-based delivery solution is not any more expensive than standard delivery options and can be arranged on a next-day basis, meaning that customers will not need to make any sacrifices in terms of the speed with which parcels arrive on their doorsteps.

Company spokesperson Pascal Brun said that it was important to make the firm’s operations more sustainable, not only because it was good for the environment but also because there was actually demand for this type of solution amongst customers.

With the growing awareness of the climate crisis which is facing the planet, many businesses and brands are doing more to look at options for slashing carbon emissions associated with their manufacturing and shipping services. Fashion is often criticised for being one of the bigger contributors to global warming as well as posing ethical questions as a result of the working conditions in factories where popular products are made.

If this trial proves to be worthwhile, it is likely that H&M and other brands will follow suit in rolling it out more widely across the regions in which it offers online shopping. The UK has already seen a rise in deliveries via bike courier thanks to food app Deliveroo, so it would be a natural step for similar services to apply to a wider range of products in the future.