Our CEO Sebastian joined the conference at WSP House yesterday to discuss urban transformation in view of the future of delivery and sustainable supply chains. The event was attended by over 60 key stakeholders to exchange thoughtleadership, gather the latest insights on the topic as well as learn about actionable solutions.
The Footprint Forum is a 'membership body that meets to discuss environmental, social and economic impacts of the foodservice, hospitality, facilities as well as grocery retail industries and the various initiatives being taken to counter these'. Senior Members and delegates are invited to 'represent the entire food supply chain from source to delivery, associated industries, such as waste disposal, packaging etc, as well as agencies, Government and NGO’s.'
Businesses are under pressure to reduce the impact of deliveries on congestion, road safety, air quality, and the quality of life. (...) While the issues are challenging, cities recognise the importance of efficient deliveries, and a wide range of solutions are available and being developed to meet the challenge.
FOOTPRINT: SUSTAINABLE RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS
The 3-hour afternoon agenda was shaped by two Keynote sessions from Rachel Skinner, Executive Director & Head of UK Development at WSP and Bruce McVean, Strategic Transportation Group Manager at City of London Corp, as well as two panel discussions followed by Q&A and networking drinks.
Rachel Skinner, Top 50 Influential Women in Engineering and Head of UK Development at WSP
Panel 1) debating the 'challenges and barriers, issues and difficulties faced to manage efficient foodservice supply chains in future cities' with
- Henry Cawson, Sustainability Manager at Baxter Storey
- Lugano Kapembwa, Estate Operations Lead at Canary Wharf Group
- Andrew Morgan, Director at Global 78
Panel 2) addressing the 'solutions and the opportunities that foodservice should embrace, what urban efficient supply chains look like and how we achieve the objective.'
- Paul Farr, Head of Transportation Network Development at CEVA
- Giles Perkins, Technical Director Future Mobility at WSP
- Sebastian Steinhauser (no intro needed :))
Our FAVOURITE QUOTES of the day:
Rachel Skinner, Executive Director & Head of UK Development at WSP - 'Mobility matters - air quality costs the UK £54B per year! The Sharing Economy allows to buy into mobility rather than owning a car.'
Bruce McVean, Strategic Transportation Group Manager at City of London Corp - ‘Delivery and services have a huge impact on the squaremile and its mobility.'
Sebastian Steinhauser, Parcelly - ‘Making the last and first mile delivery distance as short as possible and cost efficient is the key. Collaboration needs to happen between suppliers to make solutions work’.
John Twitchen, Lead Consultant at Footprint Media - 'There is no one size fits all approach.'
We have discussed the change of urban logistics and seen the impact it has on supply chains. One industry that seems to be particularly evolving, and which at the same time is most challenging on a day to day basis in urban areas, is the food & beverages sector. What hasn’t changed though is that hyper-local fulfilment, smart distribution models and innovative last- and first-mile delivery options are the solution to this growing supply chain pressure.
We will see a lot of change in the years to come, as the demand for on-demand fulfilment is growing, while commercial roads and infrastructure has to make space for pedestrianised inner-city areas and congestion-free zones. London is and will be a place to watch when it comes to how this can be managed.Sebastian Steinhauser, CEO & Founder Parcelly
We had a great time at the event, gained fascinating insights from different perspectives about inner-city supply chain challenges and also want to extend a huge THANK YOU to Footprint Media and WSP for hosting us! #parcellove
