Antwerp’s pilot is out for delivery
The Code ZERO pilot in Antwerp marks the official launch of a new approach to parcel delivery in the city, with the initiative set to run until the summer. As part of this pilot, parcel lockers have been installed across Antwerp, sustainable delivery options are being expanded, and an awareness campaign is underway to encourage residents to collect their parcels in more environmentally friendly ways.
The city is determined to prevent citizens’ front doors from effectively becoming extensions of retail space and instead aims to promote alternative delivery and return solutions that are more sustainable for consumers.
Installing the lockers
A key component of the pilot is the expansion of parcel locker infrastructure. bpost, which manages mail delivery in Belgium, already operates a network of 21 parcel lockers and 31 staffed pick-up and drop-off points in Antwerp.
This network currently covers around 70% of residents within a 400-meter radius. With the launch of the pilot, the city is working to close this gap by adding 13 additional lockers on private properties to reach 85% of consumers.
A dense and accessible network of lockers, combined with increased capacity, supports more efficient and sustainable urban deliveries while enabling greener parcel collection. However, infrastructure alone is not sufficient; encouraging people to actually use these alternatives is essential to the pilot’s success.
Encouraging behavioural change
To drive behavioural change, the City of Antwerp has partnered with TORFS and bpost to roll out coordinated awareness campaigns. These efforts aim not only to increase the use of pick-up points over home delivery, but also to better understand which messages most effectively encourage people to collect parcels on foot or by bike rather than by car.
The campaign strategy unfolds in three phases. Initially, parcel lockers are promoted as the default, sustainable delivery option. This is complemented by targeted notifications to customers, emphasising the reliability and convenience of lockers.
The pilot specifically targets online shoppers, combining infrastructure development with behavioural interventions. These include prompts at the checkout page of TORFS’ website, direct communication with bpost customers, and campaigns across the social media channels of the City of Antwerp, TORFS, bpost, and Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
The campaign is structured around three key moments: a first wave in mid-January highlighting the convenience and locations of pick-up and drop-off (PUDO) points; a second phase at the end of March focusing on the sustainability benefits and encouraging active mobility; and a third phase in early May testing the impact of incentives, such as “golden tickets” offered to TORFS customers who choose out-of-home delivery options.
Moving forward
To evaluate the effectiveness of these measures, feedback surveys will be distributed via the bpost app. These surveys will provide insights into how people travel to parcel lockers, offering the city a concrete way to measure the pilot’s impact on sustainable mobility.
For Antwerp, reducing the number of delivery vans on city streets remains a persistent challenge, particularly in residential neighbourhoods where such traffic is least desirable. This makes the pilot especially important, as it focuses on avoiding and reducing unnecessary vehicle movements.
As Anton Renard, Mobility Consultant for Urban Logistics at the City of Antwerp, explains, “In Antwerp, as in numerous other cities, the rise of e-commerce has transformed citizens’ front doors into new retail spaces, necessitating sustainable solutions for last-mile delivery and returns.”
By expanding the parcel locker network and encouraging residents to adopt more sustainable collection methods, Antwerp aims to ease the pressure of last-mile deliveries on public space, improve road safety, and reduce noise and emissions in residential areas. Ultimately, the initiative contributes to a broader vision for urban logistics, one in which consumer convenience goes hand in hand with cleaner, quieter, and more liveable streets.
