With so many moving parts , last-mile logistics has always been the most expensive and problematic part of the supply chain , but , following the meteoric rise of ecommerce during repeated lockdowns , the pressure on last mile has never been greater .

The global move towards net-zero carbon emissions is also leaving freight companies trying to achieve the seemingly impossible : increasing delivery levels in a sustainable way .

To throw light on some of the challenges that last mile operators are facing , we spoke to two people who know the industry inside out :

Sarah Banks ( SB ) is global freight and logistics lead at Accenture and has spent 25 years in the logistics industry .

Vincent Fletcher ( VF ), meanwhile , is CEO of CartonCloud , whose software allows logistics SMEs to compete against major players in the industry . How has the move to ecommerce changed last-mile logistics ? SB : The biggest impact on last-mile has been the volume . The entire last-mile ecosystem – including post and parcel organisations , retailers , delivery companies , governments

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SupplyChain Magazine July 2022 | Page 67

The ongoing rise of ecommerce and omnichannel retail is placing last-mile freight operators under enormous pressure to handle greater loads , sustainably

The ongoing rise of ecommerce and omnichannel retail is placing last-mile freight operators under enormous pressure to handle greater loads , sustainably

With so many moving parts , last-mile logistics has always been the most expensive and problematic part of the supply chain , but , following the meteoric rise of ecommerce during repeated lockdowns , the pressure on last mile has never been greater .