DPD has opened a £40 million “eco-regional” sortation centre which it says will allow it to deliver up to 80,000 green parcels into London every day.

The new facility, set to create around 650 new jobs when fully operational in the new year, enables the company to provide an all-electric delivery service within London’s north and south circular area.

The parcel delivery company said that as part of its new diesel-free operation, the warehouse – located in Docklands, London – has solar panels on the parking canopy to help charge its 500 electric delivery vans.

The site, which DPD describes as a "hybrid eco-sortation and distribution facility", also has a 40,000 litre HVO tank to allow its fleet of LGVs and 7.5T trucks to be filled with the renewable biofuel.

The warehouse will also house a 430 metre long conveyor system that will automatically sort all intra-London parcels for next-day delivery on-site, instead of them being taken to the Midlands and back for sorting.

Additionally, the plan includes the installation of solar panels on the main roof next year, which DPD says could generate up to one million kwh per annum to help power the whole building - which is the size of 8.5 football pitches.

The delivery firm said that the Docklands site, which will be its "greenest in the UK", will also see it achieve its pledge to deliver to 30 of the largest towns and cities in the UK with zero and low-emission final mile delivery vehicles.

DPD UK chief executive Elaine Kerr said that following its opening of the UK's first all-electric parcel delivery depot in Westminster five years ago, the new Docklands site demonstrate what is possible on a "much bigger scale.

"This investment represents another huge step towards our net zero goals and, I believe, demonstrates the new gold standard for a green parcel delivery operation in London, or any city," added Kerr.

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