Lead the Change: How Wuunder reduces delivery vans in the street
Parcel delivery is essential, but it also has environmental impacts. Vans often drive half empty, boxes are filled with air, and carriers plan their routes without coordinating with each other. Jeroen Gehlen, co-founder of Wuunder, observed these inefficiencies firsthand for years at PostNL and TNT Express. He decided things had to change. Smarter, greener, and without extra cost for the customer.
From PostNL to a pioneer in sustainable delivery
“The greenest mile is the one you don’t drive.” For Jeroen, that’s not just a slogan. At PostNL and TNT Express, he held various roles, from product and marketing manager to global lead on innovation in driver processes and warehouses. That’s where he discovered the stubbornness of the problems in the industry.
“Half-empty vans, oversized boxes full of air, multiple carriers driving past the same addresses without knowing, a peak in deliveries on Tuesdays when most people are at work, it’s everyday reality,” he explains. “For 200 years, people have been doing things this inefficiently. That had to change..”
A personal drive
For Jeroen, it’s about more than logistics. Growing up in South Limburg, he witnessed the impact of climate change on landscapes. “As a kid, I used to go skiing almost every winter weekend at Baraque Michel in Belgium. That’s no longer possible. The snow has disappeared. You see it change before your eyes. I want my children to grow up in a liveable world too.”
The idea behind Wuunder
At Wuunder, everything is about awareness and collaboration. The company developed GreenChoice: an option in webshop checkouts that allows customers to select the most sustainable delivery day.
“The idea is simple,” says Jeroen. “If you know a van is already coming to your street, you can have your parcel delivered on that day. That saves vans, miles, fuel and CO₂.”
And it works. Research by Wuunder shows that 85% of consumers choose the green option when they understand the benefit. “People are willing, but they need to see the difference. 80% of the solution is awareness. The rest is smart collaboration and action,” says Jeroen.
Smarter packaging with PuzzlPack
Delivery moments aren’t the only factor in sustainable logistics; packaging also plays a crucial role. In many warehouses, packers select larger boxes to ensure the product always fits. That’s faster, but it means transporting more air.
Wuunder developed PuzzlPack, a system that calculates the most efficient packaging. Based on size and weight, Wuunder selects the smallest suitable box. That makes shipments more compact, more parcels fit in one van, and CO₂ emissions drop. It also speeds up order picking and cuts transport costs by up to 30%.
“The less air you transport, the more parcels fit in a run, and the fewer miles you need,” Jeroen explains. “It may be less visible to the customer, but the impact is big.”
Why speed isn’t always better
A big part of the problem, Jeroen says, is the “speed culture” of e-commerce. “‘Next day delivery’ sounds great, but it often means half-empty vans. Routes are split up, even though most orders aren’t urgent.”
It also puts warehouses under unnecessary pressure. “Consumers order heavily over the weekend. On Monday, everything must be processed simultaneously, pushing people and machines to their limits. Spreading out orders lowers pressure and improves the whole chain.”
How Wuunder makes collaboration work
In theory, one driver could deliver parcels for multiple carriers. In practice, that’s complex. “Carriers don’t want to share their IT systems or network data. We found a way to collaborate without them needing to disclose everything. The consumer simply sees which day is the greenest and can pick it directly in the checkout.”
Nudging greener choices
Sustainability at Wuunder is also about behaviour. Many consumers automatically click the fastest option without considering its impact. Jeroen sees that as the key opportunity. “If you explain the effect, people start reflecting. And if the green option is just as easy, most people will choose it.”
Together with the University of Groningen, Wuunder is testing how to present the green option so customers pick it more often. Do people respond better when it’s pre-selected? Does showing CO₂ savings help? What about making fast delivery more expensive or offering discounts for green choices?
According to Jeroen, it’s all about removing barriers. “People want to choose sustainable, but it has to be simple. If the green option feels like the obvious standard, 85% of people go for it. That’s behavioural psychology in action.”
A realistic vision of the future
Jeroen is optimistic but realistic about the future of parcel delivery. “Self-driving vehicles and more bike couriers will come, but the biggest win is what we can do right now. Drive less, plan smarter, work together. That delivers results immediately.”
With hundreds of connected web shops and over 30 million parcels processed, Wuunder demonstrates that sustainability and commercial success can go hand in hand. “Collaboration leads to efficiency, and efficiency leads to sustainability. If you explain it clearly, almost everyone wants to join.”
Just as Wuunder proves that smart choices lead to less CO₂ and greater efficiency, Eevery helps you see where your business can improve. Book a free demo and discover how your company can contribute to a greener future.
