The Industry Agreement for Fossil-Free Delivery
Clarity Drives the Transition
Before the Industry Agreement, the market was characterised by a plethora of arbitrary and confusing terms, such as "climate-smart". The Industry Agreement for Fossil-Free Delivery is an initiative by ASTER (now Next Gen Retail) and the Swedish Federation of Trade (Svensk Handel). The ASTER programme, which drove e-commerce initiatives toward a more sustainable future, concluded in 2025, and this project has been a significant part of that mission.
Through collaboration between e-commerce retailers and carriers, the agreement aimed to establish a strict definition for the term "fossil-free delivery" at the checkout. The objective was to make it easier for consumers to make informed choices regarding delivery methods and to eliminate vague environmental claims. A report from Lund University confirms that the agreement has successfully met its primary goal: creating clarity for consumers by establishing a common standard.
The Industry Agreement for Fossil-Free Delivery gave us the tools we needed to negotiate more simply and structurally with our carriers regarding the transition to fossil-free. It has helped us increase the fossil-free share within our e-commerce from 38% to nearly 90%, while simultaneously lowering our transport costs and enhancing our value proposition at the checkout.
Christoffer Andersson, Logistics Manager at Apoteket
Standardisation Delivers Results
Standardisation has yielded measurable effects for the participating companies. Below is the positive development seen by two key players during the 2021–2023 measurement period:
Apoteket: Drastic reduction in fossil fuels
Between 2021 and 2023, the share of fossil fuels in Apoteket's e-commerce transports dropped from 58% to 15.7% – a reduction of over 70%. Simultaneously, the fossil-free share increased by over 100%. This was achieved despite a 70% increase in e-commerce volume, while costs per delivery decreased by 6% per unit of carbon dioxide.
Early Bird: Doubled fossil-free mileage
During the 2021–2023 period, carbon dioxide emissions per parcel decreased by nearly 25%. During these years, the share of fossil-free mileage doubled from 21% to 42%, and the entirely emission-free share increased from 11% to 17%.
Final Report
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