Have you ever thought about the greenhouse gasses released by your latest home delivery? We did.

The “last mile” in the journey of a product to its destination address, accounts for up to half of its overall CO2 emissions. These relatively short journeys that thousands of delivery vehicles are making every single day are having a disproportionate effect on pollution, smog, air quality and ultimately our ability to achieve a zero emission future.

Every year, getting packages and food to your home emits 4.4 million tonnes of CO2 in North America, including 300,000 tonnes of CO2 in Canada. The last mile produces almost 1/2 the emissions that result from the overall transportation of goods.

We observed that many drivers who are dependent on this work are driving older vehicles with worse emissions. While some are able to afford an electric vehicle (EV), too many are not.

We wanted to find out how these drivers could participate in the carbon transition, so we did the research. Here’s what we found as we continue to advocate for these drivers to participate in decarbonizing our cities.