All reports show that governments are not doing enough to address the environmental problem. Some local businesses are rolling up their sleeves to do their part in the delivery world.
Just in September, we learned that greenhouse gas emissions in Canada increased by 2.1%. They are also increasing in Montreal and Quebec.
However, everyone and their brother-in-law say they want to reduce them, especially in the transport sector, where delivery accounts for 50% of emissions.
Quebec has a Gaul in this sector: Nationex, a company that wants to change the rules of the game.
It is run by Catryn Pinard, 46, the only female boss in an industry where middle-aged white men rule the roost.
Catryn Pinard poses in front of one of the 41 Brightdrop electric vans she just purchased. Photo Julien Mcevoy
In 2015, control of the company built by his father returned to him.
“Since that day, I have managed to leave my own children a company that I am proud of,” the woman, who has four children at home, said in an interview.
Their goal is to make delivery as environmentally friendly as possible, with no gasoline and no pollution. It costs him a fortune in investments that only pay off after some time.
“I’m not just doing this to be profitable, I really believe in it,” says the entrepreneur, who has just bought 41 Brightdrop electric vans.
It counts on major customers such as Décathlon and Altitude Sports, an online retailer with significant sales volume.
At Altitude, electric delivery is already cheaper than gas delivery if the customer is willing to wait two days longer.
Screenshot of Altitude Sport website
“Many people do not want their package to be delivered within 24 hours, especially when they are aware of our sustainable development practices. “That’s encouraging,” says the managing director.
Mrs. Pinard’s green zones
Thanks to its new fleet of electric vans and the purchase of Courant Plus in September, Nationex now offers environmentally friendly delivery throughout the island of Montreal.
Screenshot from Nationex website
This is just the first step. It will soon be offered in 13 100% electric zones in Quebec, including Laval, Longueuil, Quebec, Gatineau/Ottawa, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières, Saint-Hyacinthe and Chicoutimi.
This Christmas, two out of three Quebecers can have packages delivered without littering their neighborhood.
“Our goal is to electrify all roads, which is possible, by 2025. And that’s just the beginning,” says the Nationex boss happily.
And you, what do you think?
How many packages per day are delivered to Montreal? In Quebec? Do you know? Do you want to know whether your package will be delivered on two wheels, four wheels, electric or gasoline? Do you think about this when purchasing?
Amazon delivers 290,000 packages per day to Montreal during its good weeks, namely Black Friday and Christmas. That’s 2 out of 10 Montrealers receiving a package every day. Yes, there are stores there, but there are also people who buy something from Amazon every other day.
Does the pollution caused by all these trucks matter? The answer is yes, in the sense that it is a major polluter: the OECD predicts that the emissions rate from freight transport will reach 50% by 2050.
Do you know how much money Quebecers spend online? Also a lot. From $7.3 billion in 2012, we have reached $16.4 billion per year. According to NETendances, three out of four Quebecers buy online, compared to 63% in 2019.
Quebec generates a package of packages. Intelcom alone, the local delivery giant, will deliver 350,000 every day in Quebec and Canada in 2023.
His best day ever? 490,000 packages delivered in 24 hours. It happened in October.
The company owned by Jean-Sébastien Joly, Mélanie Joly’s brother, delivered 101,800,000 packages in 2022.
All of these numbers are absolutely accurate and come from a presentation Intelcom gave to the industry on October 18th.
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