The EcoLogistics Handbook Offers a Blueprint for First-Mover Cities.
13 September 2023 – Bonn, Germany. ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is sharing “The EcoLogistics Handbook: Unlocking Sustainable Urban Freight,” a comprehensive guide that equips stakeholders with powerful strategies to advance effective regulatory, planning, and logistical instruments to support low-carbon, sustainable urban freight with a focus on emergency and developing countries.
A culmination of insights and experiences from nine cities in India, Argentina, and Colombia, the Handbook is based on real-world solutions to developing urban freight strategies through “EcoLogistics: Low Carbon Freight for Sustainable Cities” (2017-2022), a global project led by ICLEI in partnership with Despacio, Zaragoza Logistics Center, and Smart Freight Center. The project was supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) through the International Climate Initiative (IKI).
“We are proud of the strides made by the EcoLogistics project in the global quest for sustainable urban freight solutions. The EcoLogistics Handbook is a testament to years of deep collaboration and successful implementation of low-carbon urban freight options that showed us that accelerating the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in this sector is possible by showing strong leadership and co-designing innovation through stakeholder engagement” said Gino Van Begin, Secretary General of ICLEI.
The EcoLogistics Handbook is a deep resource for all stakeholders in the freight sector, including local, regional and national governments, business leaders, policy-makers, researchers, and civil society organization representatives. Each has a critical role to play in achieving sustainable urban freight, and the Handbook helps to lay a foundation for a collaborative, multi-stakeholder process.
The Handbook presents evidence-based sustainable urban freight solutions gleaned in nine pilot cities: Rosario, Córdoba, and Santa Fe, in Argentina; Bogotá, Valle de Aburrá, Manizales, in Colombia; and Kochi, Panaji, and Shimla, in India.
EcoLogistics is a multi-stakeholder approach to the transportation of goods that prioritizes health, safety, people-centered, low-emission urban development and encourages circular and regional economies towards sustainable freight transport.
These cities have implemented technologies such as zero-emission vehicles in combination with comprehensive urban policies, illustrating how sustainable urban freight can work in practice. Examples include the introduction of electric rickshaws in Kochi and Panaji, which included testing different models of e-rickshaws in the urban supply chain, and the launching in Rosario of the first public share system of cargo bikes in Latin America.
KEY QUOTES FROM CITIES WHO HAVE IMPLEMENTED ECOLOGISTICS APPROACHES
Pablo Javkin, Mayor of Rosario, Argentina: “EcoLogistics allows the city to adopt mobility policies for sustainable logistics, to respond to environmental, economic and social needs.”
Emilio Jatón, Mayor, Santa Fe, Argentina: “EcoLogistics initiatives are real pathways for transformation, action and consensus, allowing us to move towards the city we want: an integrated, resilient, caring and sustainable city.”
Claudia López, Mayor of Bogotá, Colombia: “We are decarbonizing our mobility and transforming the Bogotá region into an inclusive and sustainable model of mobility, creativity, and productivity.”
Carlos Mario Marín Mayor of Manizales, Colombia: “Manizales has developed a baseline for the characterization of the cargo transport sector in the city and set a series of actions to optimize the efficiency of the city’s urban logistics system.”
Juan David Palacio, Director of AMVA, Colombia: “The Valle de Aburrá Metropolitan Area is joining forces to increase the efficiency of urban logistics to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote sustainability throughout the production chain. I celebrate our alliance with ICLEI because the only way to materialize positive changes is through joint work.”
Adv. M. AnilKumar, Mayor of Kochi, India: “The urban logistics sector in Indian cities is dominated by informal private operators, which makes coordination difficult. The multi-stakeholder working group as formulated under the EcoLogistics project in Kochi, could assist cities in integrating, planning and regulating freight as part of urban mobility and development.”
Agnelo Fernandes, Commissioner, Corporation of the city of Panaji, India: “Cities can no longer afford to ignore freight and how it interacts with the built environment. Panaji has prioritized strategies for a resilient, sustainable and low carbon urban logistics system.”
Ashish Kohli, Commissioner, Shimla Municipal Corporation, India: “Cities need to ensure that logistics solutions work for all. Shimla is enhancing the resilience of the essential goods supply chain by adopting sustainable and integrated planning for urban logistics.”
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NOTE TO THE EDITORS
About ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability (known as “ICLEI”) is a global network of more than 2,500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. Active in 125+ countries, we influence sustainability policy and drive local action for low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient and circular development. Our Members and team of experts work together through peer exchange, partnerships and capacity building to create systemic change for urban sustainability. For more information about ICLEI, please visit: https://iclei.org/.
About The EcoLogistics Project
ICLEI’s EcoLogistics project (2017-2022) is supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) through the International Climate Initiative (IKI), involving 9 cities in Argentina, Colombia, and India. The project focuses on capacitating governmental and non-governmental actors to build strategies and policies to promote low-carbon and more sustainable urban freight through local action and national support.