Ecozone improves quality of life and air quality in Bruges

bpost has been making zero-emission deliveries of newspapers, letters and parcels in the centra of Bruges since December 2022. bpost and City of Bruges have now joined forces for the installation of parcel lockers at eight additional locations. The combination of the green fleet, the dense pick-up point network and the partnership with City of Bruges authorities and inhabitants has now led to Bruges becoming a fully fledged Ecozone.

The most important aspects of an Ecozone are zero-emission deliveries and a finely meshed network of pick-up points (post offices, post points, parcel points and parcel lockers). There are now 29 pick-up points across Bruges. This is an important achievement that fits in perfectly with the sustainability goals set by City of Bruges.

Extensive pick-up point network

The installation of parcel lockers at eight additional locations improves pick-up point network efficiency and access. The even spread of pick-up points across the territory ensures that every inhabitant is within walking or biking distance of one.

Of course, parcel lockers can be used to send parcels as well as receive them. bpost makes collections from lockers every day. Customers can track their parcels in the My bpost app. User instructions are also available in the app, as well as on the parcel lockers themselves.

Jos Donvil, CEO bpost Belgium: “There can be no Ecozone without eco-friendly deliveries and an extensive network of pick-up points. The installation of new parcel lockers in a historic city like Bruges has entailed a few challenges. We have been able to find suitable locations in close consultation with the city authorities. So I am delighted to be able to announce Bruges as the first fully fledged Ecozone in West Flanders. In so doing, we contribute to a cleaner city.”

bpost and City of Bruges, shared sustainability goals

Zero-emission deliveries are a key part of the sustainability policy pursued by bpost, which aims to set the benchmark in the industry. Its fleet of electric bikes and vans enables bpost to substantially reduce carbon and fine particle emissions associated with the delivery of letters and parcels. In time, all mail rounds in the suburbs of Sint-Michiels, Sint-Andries, Sint-Kruis and Assebroek will be emission-free. As such, bpost actively contributes to improving air quality for all inhabitants of Bruges.

Bruges mayor Dirk De fauw: “Bruges is a fantastic city in which to live and work and we want to keep it that way. That’s why we launched our ambitious BruggeNaarMorgen climate plan two years ago. In that plan we set out what we are going to do to halve direct carbon emissions in Bruges by 2030. The initiatives that bpost has presented here today fit in perfectly with this ambition. So we are delighted to be able to work together as partners to make Bruges a healthy and sustainable city. At the same time, it makes me very proud to be the first fully fledged bpost Ecozone in West Flanders.”

Bruges Ecozone – Selected key figures

• 29 pick-up points
• 73 electric vans (including postcode zones 8200 and 8310)
• 9 electric bikes with trailers (in the city centre)
• Reducing carbon emissions: our people cover 153km within the historic centre of Bruges on electric bikes with trailers every day delivering and collecting letters and parcels. As a result of the combination of bikes with trailers and the electrification of the fleet, we have cut our carbon emissions since December 2022 by 83 tonnes, which is approximately equivalent to the average emissions of 119 Belgian households.

Positive trend: we see a fast and highly positive development in the use of parcel lockers. bpost will actively promote parcel lockers in Bruges as an environmentally and customer-friendly option.

New parcel locker locations

• Bilkske
• ‘t Zand cycle parking
• Astrid Park
• Jakobinessenpark
• Zilverstraat
• bpost Waggelwater
• Stoer Huus
• Rijkepijnders

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