New initiative to help businesses save money and cut emissions

The Sustainable Distribution Centre (SDC), which opened in early February, offers companies a cost-effective way of arranging convenient deliveries and storage. It has been established by Southampton City Council with a £225,000 grant from the UK Government's Sustainable Transport Fund.

"Large companies such as supermarkets have efficient supply chain systems for organising their deliveries," explains Dr Tom Cherrett, Senior Lecturer for Logistics and Transport Planning. "In congested urban areas, it would make much more sense if the deliveries going to different businesses on the same street could be consolidated outside the urban area on to single vehicles for the last-mile delivery."

Freight consolidation centres are not new - the city of Bristol has operated a successful scheme for several years. Of interest is whether large municipal organisations such as universities which generate considerable freight movements could significantly reduce their carbon footprint by using them. Engineering students have been working with the SDC and the University of Southampton to understand in what ways the university could benefit from consolidating deliveries through the SDC.

Councillor Jacqui Rayment, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, adds: "The SDC will help to cut HGV traffic and provide environmental benefits such as reduced congestion and improved air quality from lower emissions."

The SDC in the Nursling Industrial Estate in Southampton is operated by Meachers Global Logistics and offers freight consolidation and warehousing solutions to businesses in the private and public sector within a 20 mile radius of the city. Similar centres exist in Bristol and at Terminal five at Heathrow Airport.