Sustainability-focused last-mile shipping platform, Liefergrün, has just closed a €3 million funding round. The funding was led by SpeedInvest with participation from Norrsken VC.
Founded in Münster in 2017, Liefergrün has a vision to enable guilt-free online shopping by reducing the environmental impact of deliveries. As a result, it is committed to creating a fair, social, and emissions-free delivery experience with the mantra ‘we respect your shopping’.
Liefergrün delivers in freely selectable time windows and with 24/7 real-time tracking. Return deliveries are also able to be scheduled and are fully sustainable. Already present in 30 cities across Germany, the startup uses a fleet of cargo bikes and electric vehicles based at scores of micro-distribution hubs to enable emission-free delivery of goods bought online to consumers.
The young startup works with the likes of Adidas, Dyson and Every to provide a range of services including two hour and next day delivery which customers can track in real-time using an app.
Niklas Tauch, CEO and Co-Founder of Liefergrün, said: “Ecommerce has exploded over the past two years. More than 75% of Germans regularly buy products online. However, this convenience comes at a price – it’s creating a huge amount of emissions that people are rightly getting very concerned about. Simply telling people to buy less isn’t going to solve the problem. What we need to do is make ecommerce sustainable. A major part of that is tackling the last mile of delivery.”
By tackling the emission-heavy last mile of delivery, Liefergrün estimates that it prevents the release of 420 grams of CO2 per delivery. For context, there were 4.05 billion online deliveries in Germany alone in 2021, producing 2.43 million tonnes of CO2 or 600 grams per delivery. If Liefergrün’s sustainable approach was applied across Germany it would more than halve package delivery emissions by 1.7 million tonnes of CO2 – the equivalent of taking nearly 370,000 cars off the road each year. With online deliveries in Germany alone set to hit 5.7 billion by 2025, it’s clear that action needs to be taken now to reduce the environmental impact and enable guilt-free online shopping to continue.
Niklas Tauch added: “Liefergrün is about creating a global green solution to delivery which doesn’t compromise on the quality of service to customers. This funding is an important step in our journey. It will enable us to consolidate our position in Germany and expand to other major European cities.”
As well as aiming to make delivery logistics emission-free, Liefergrün is also committed to providing excellent working conditions to its staff and suppliers by paying a living wage and having strict sustainability across all bases of business operations.
Liefergrün will use the fresh investment to grow its team, expand its platform and begin preparations for rolling its service across major European cities including London, Paris and Madrid.
Mathias Ockenfels, General Partner at Speedinvest, said: “Many cities across the world are facing the same challenge of getting a grip on the flood of deliveries that reduce air quality and make a big contribution to climate change. You only need to see how rapidly Liefergrün has grown to see just how attractive its offering is to consumers and businesses alike. It is already a big player in the 30 largest cities in Germany and we’re very excited about Liefergrün’s potential to expand across Europe.”
