The Environmental Sustainability of Pickup Points: A Study on Consumers Modes of Transport When Picking Up Packages

Pickup points are often presented as a more sustainable alternative to traditional homedeliveries. However, studies show that the environmental sustainability of this deliverymethod is heavily dependent on how consumers travel to the pickup points. This study aimsto investigate to what extent pickup points can be considered an environmentally sustainabledelivery method, the modes of transport consumers use when collecting packages, the factorsinfluencing these choices, and how transport mode choices vary between livingenvironments. The study is based on a quantitative survey with 155 respondents,complemented by a qualitative expert interview. The results show that the car is the mostcommon mode of transport, but a significant proportion also use walking, cycling, or publictransportation. However, the mode of transport clearly varies depending on the residentialcontext, with walking being most common in urban areas, while the car dominates in ruralareas. The analysis indicates that factors such as accessibility, infrastructure, everydaylogistics, and convenience often have a greater impact on the choice of transport mode thanenvironmental considerations. At the same time, there are indications that environmentalawareness influences certain consumers, which is explained using Self-Identity Theory.Supported by other theories such as the Capability Approach and the Theory of PlannedBehavior, the study highlights that access to sustainable modes of transport does not alwayslead to sustainable choices, as these are influenced by both structural and personal conversionfactors. Finally, the results suggest that pickup points have the potential to constitute a moresustainable delivery method, provided that consumers' trips to these pickup points are madeusing environmentally friendly modes of transport.