Delivering L’Oréal products by electric bicycle
To improve air quality and reduce its carbon footprint in urban areas, L’Oréal has launched the Green Last Mile (GLAM) project, proposing delivery solutions for its products using an active and sustainable means of transport.
Main project's drivers for reducing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
Energy and resource efficiency
Energy Decarbonisation
Energy efficiency improvements
Improving efficiency in non-energy resources
Emission removal
Financing low-carbon issuers or disinvestment from carbon assets
Reduction of other greenhouse gases emission
Project objectives
- Improving air quality in urban centres.
- Reducing the carbon footprint of the ‘last mile delivery’ of L’Oréal products.
To reduce its environmental impact in urban areas, L’Oréal has launched the Green Last Mile (GLAM) project.
The programme was launched in 2019 in selected towns, according to the volume of deliveries in these locations, across all regions where we operate.
Since the launch, we have implemented 20 innovative initiatives in 12 countries.
In particular, in 2020,
- Belgium extended bicycle deliveries from Brussels to Anvers.
- Chile implemented a partnership for deliveries by bicycle or electric vehicle, which could represent up to 118,000 deliveries annually.
- Italy completed a bicycle delivery initiative covering a volume of 11,000 deliveries annually, by implementing biogas vehicles for delivering hair products in 8 towns.
The ambition for 2025 is to decarbonise deliveries in 50 town centres worldwide. Since 2019, initiatives have multiplied, combining deliveries by bicycle and with biogas and electric vehicles, thereby contributing to reducing emissions of particulate matter in urban areas.
For example, Belgium began an electric bicycle project by joining forces with the Belgian telecommunications operator Proximus, in order to test a low carbon transport solution in Brussels. This enabled us to make our first deliveries to hairdressing salons (of L’Oréal products) and Proximus’ points of sales (for Proximus products).
From May 2020, this initiative was implemented with a second partner across three divisions: L’Oréal Professional Products, Active Cosmetics and Consumer Products, in Anvers and Brussels, enabling us to expand deliveries by electric bicycles to pharmacies, in particular. Through this pilot project, we were able to make around 2,500 deliveries across 1.5% of our delivery volumes between November 2019 and October 2020, in more than 270 points of sale.
The ambition for 2021 is to decarbonise deliveries in 5 town centres in Belgium and the Netherlands, with a potential for 11,000 annual deliveries (around 10% of urban deliveries), with a view to contributing to a 5% decline in carbon emissions.
This initiative will also help to improve air quality (by avoiding emissions of particulate matter and NOX) and lower congestion in town centres.
Emission scope(s)
on which the project has a significant impact
Scope 1
Direct emissions generated by the company's activity.
Scope 2
Indirect emissions associated with the company's electricity and heat consumption.
Scope 3
Emissions induced (upstream or downstream) by the company's activities, products and/or services in its value chain.
Emission Removal
Carbon sinks creation, (BECCS, CCU/S, …)
Avoided Emissions
Emissions avoided by the activities, products and/or services in charge of the project, or by the financing of emission reduction projects.
Scope 3 –
2021 goal:
11,000 electric bike deliveries in 5 city centers
5% reduction in carbon emissions
The impact has not been measured to date, as the initiative is still in a pilot phase.
For this pilot, about 2,500 deliveries on 1.5% of the volumes could be made between November 2019 and October 2020, in more than 270 outlets.
The ambition for 2021 is to decarbonize deliveries in 5 city centers, in Belgium and in the Netherlands with a potential of 11K deliveries per year (about 10% of urban deliveries) aiming to participate in a 5% decrease of carbon emissions.
Key points
Invested amount
Not communicated
Starting date of the project
October 2019
Project localisation
Belgique
Project maturity level
Prototype laboratory test (TRL 7)
Real life testing (TRL 7-8)
Pre-commercial prototype (TRL 9)
Small-scale implementation
Medium to large scale implementation
Economic profitability of the project (ROI)
Short term (0-3 years)
Middle term (4-10 years)
Long term (> 10 years)
Non communiqué
Illustrations of the project
This active transport delivery initiative will enable us to reduce CO2 emissions (SDG 13, Climate action), and therefore contributes to SDG 7, Affordable, clean energy.
It also enables us to reduce particulate matter in urban air, improving its quality, contributing in this respect to SDG 11, Sustainable cities and communities.
This initiative is currently being rolled out in other Belgian cities, including Antwerp. Other initiatives of this type are also underway around the world
A partnership with telecommunications operator Proximus was established to implement this initiative in Brussels.
Contact the company carrying the project :
alexandra.vickery@loreal.com
