ASOS Announces Use of Electric Vehicles

British retailer ASOS has announced the use of 100% electric vehicles in congestion zones to help making London's air cleaner.

The company makes approximately 500,000 UK customer deliveries a week and 3% are located within London’s congestion zone. Deliveries and returns make up 69% of the total GHG emissions from their business operations and by implementing this low carbon delivery solution, ASOS expects to reduce the carbon emissions in central London by 62% annually and realise 2% emissions decrease for the UK overall.

Matt Rogers, Delivery Solutions Director at ASOS, commented: “We’re introducing this new service to make our deliveries cleaner within central London – where traffic congestion has the biggest impact on air quality. This partnership is a key part of our wider efforts to minimise our environmental impact right across the supply chain.”

Reducing carrier delivery emissions has been an ongoing business priority for ASOS, especially as the number of deliveries the company makes each year continues to rise. In 2016, the brand launched a strategy to work more closely with carrier partners to make progress on reducing them. The company’s carbon 2020 strategy aims to reduce their carbon intensity every year until 2020.

ASOS CEO: Nick Beighton

Nick Beighton, CEO at ASOS, said: “When people hear ASOS we want them to think we’re a company that is leading the way when it comes to tackling climate change, and having a positive impact on the planet and the people on it.”

ASOS is also working with the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP) to measure and reduce the carbon, water and waste footprint of ASOS Brands UK products and is committed to cut their carbon and water footprint by 15% per tonne of clothing sold by 2020, compared with 2012

Last month ASOS co-hosted a Modern Slavery forum with Baroness Lola Young, Co-Chair All Party Parliamentary Group on Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion. On the same day, the company released their Modern Slavery Statement which has been set up to help the brand tackle human rights impacts in its global supply chain and empower workers to realise and understand their fundamental rights.