Practical information
Description
Timeline
Stakeholders
Strengths and offer
Urban logistics
Positive impacts
Needs
Logistical challenges
Practical information
What?
A bpost system combining zero-emission Ecozones for the last mile, a network of PUDO points, bbox and lockers, as well as bbox boutiques functioning as urban hubs for parcels, click & collect and micro-storage.
Who?
bpost, in connection with urban partners, shopkeepers, local public authorities, a network of pick-up points, bbox, lockers, cargo bikes and electric vehicles.
Where?
Ecozones: 25 cities and urban areas in Belgium, with the first Ecozone launched in Mechelen.
bbox boutiques: 2 in Brussels and 2 in Antwerp, including one at Rue Haute 184.
When?
Ecozone: first phase in summer 2020, followed by progressive deployment.
bbox boutique: launch announced for late 2025.
Contact
Ecozones / PUDO: Gregory Perez.
bbox boutique: Vincent De Blauwe.
Communication and general framing: Laura Cerrada Crespo.
Resources
bpost; Ecozone / bbox documentation; IPC; PostEurop; Urban Mobility Observatory; bbox boutique press release; consolidated feedback from bpost received as part of the Palette project.
Description
The Ecozones + PUDO system should not be understood as a simple postal service, but as a model of distributed urban logistics. It combines zero-emission last-mile delivery, a dense network of out-of-home pick-up and drop-off points, and local flow consolidation through urban hubs and micro-logistics infrastructures.
With 25 active Ecozones in Belgium, the aim is to shift a growing share of flows from home delivery towards shared access points, in order to reduce emissions, congestion, failed deliveries and pressure on urban space.
bbox boutiques extend this logic by creating hybrid places for parcel pick-up and drop-off, click & collect for local shops, extended-hour deliveries and short-term urban micro-warehousing. The whole system connects depots, relay points, lockers, cargo bikes, electric vehicles and local commerce.
Timeline
Summer 2020
First Ecozone launched in Mechelen.
2021
The Mechelen pilot is presented as successful and receives recognition in the postal and logistics sector.
2024
Extension of Ecozones, notably at the scale of Leuven.
Today
25 active Ecozones in Belgium.
Late 2025
Launch of bbox boutiques in Brussels and Antwerp.
Stakeholders
bpost, as a national logistics operator.
Local public authorities and partner cities, for siting, mobility and urban integration.
Local shopkeepers and e-commerce actors, notably for click & collect and certain micro-storage needs.
End users, residents and workers, whose behaviours condition part of the expected gains.
The PUDO, bbox, lockers and pick-up point network, as intermediate infrastructures between depot, delivery round and final recipient.
Strengths and offer
Zero-emission last-mile delivery within Ecozones.
Dense network of bbox, lockers and PUDO points for sending and collecting parcels.
bbox boutiques as neighbourhood infrastructures combining pick-up, drop-off, click & collect for local shops, short-term micro-storage and extended-hour deliveries.
Local consolidation of urban flows, with a potential reduction in the number of kilometres travelled per parcel.
Greater time flexibility for certain users, workers and businesses.
Relevant micro-storage for small actors and local shops.
Complementarity between the PUDO network, bbox, lockers, cargo bikes and electric vehicles.
Potential support for local commerce if bbox boutiques are designed as proximity infrastructures, and not only as tools for e-commerce delivery.
Urban logistics
How does it work?
An Ecozone is an urban area where the last mile is handled by zero-emission means: electric vehicles, bicycles and cargo bikes. In each Ecozone, these rounds are combined with a denser network of PUDO points, bbox and lockers. bbox boutiques add a neighbourhood function: parcel pick-up and drop-off, click & collect for local shops, short-term micro-storage and extended-hour deliveries.
Why is it interesting?
Because the system does not simply replace a combustion vehicle with an electric vehicle. It also seeks to change the organisation of the last mile itself: consolidating flows, reducing failed deliveries, shifting part of demand towards shared points and better connecting peripheral depots, urban hubs, lockers, shops and zero-emission delivery rounds.
Which obstacles does it respond to?
Growth of e-commerce, increased pressure on the last mile, delivery-related congestion, difficulties with parking and loading/unloading, noise and air pollution, low efficiency of highly dispersed delivery in dense urban centres, and the need for short-term micro-storage for small actors and local shops.
Identified nodes / obstacles
Transport; time; short-term storage; rapid rotation; flow consolidation; break points; user behaviour; home delivery versus pick-up point; interoperability between peripheral depots, urban hubs, lockers, PUDO points and zero-emission rounds; fine-grained urban integration of boutiques, lockers and micro-infrastructures; tension between supporting local commerce and reinforcing dominant e-commerce.
Positive impacts
Environment — potential reduction in emissions through the combination of electrification, cycling, out-of-home points and changes in user behaviour. The gains depend, however, on pick-up not generating an additional car trip.
Space — potentially calmer streets, fewer loading and unloading conflicts, less improvised logistics parking and reduced congestion if flows are actually consolidated.
Neighbourhood — a quieter neighbourhood if pick-ups are integrated into daily routes and if bbox boutiques become useful proximity infrastructures rather than simple extensions of e-commerce.
Social relations — potential connections between logistics operator, local shops, users, workers and public authorities around shared solutions for pick-up, drop-off, short-term storage and proximity delivery.