Results from a simulation experiment with top retailers Carrefour and Casino in France and their 100 top suppliers moving from actual practice to a “Physical Internet Model” showed a potential economic benefit of 32%, a 60% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and a potential of 50% of volume shifted from road to rail. Accelerating the Path Towards Physical Internet -SENSE- project strategic objective is to accelerate the path towards the Physical Internet (PI), so advanced pilot implementations of the PI concept are well functioning and extended in industry practice by 2030, and hence contributing to at least 30 % reduction in congestion, emissions and energy consumption. To that end, SENSE aims to increase the level of understanding of PI concept and the opportunities that brings to transport and logistics. By building stronger and wider support of industry, public bodies and research worlds towards the PI we may reach consensus and enable coordinated strategic public and private investments in research and innovation embracing Physical Internet that could lead us to a new much more efficient and sustainable paradigm. SENSE will: 1) enhance, and stabilize a solid framework for industry, research and public bodies to share advances, barriers, opportunities and best practices regarding Physical Internet implementation, 2) build awareness and raise wide consensus on the Detailed Roadmap towards the Physical Internet developed in the frame of the project, 3) Create The Reference Knowledge Platform so the Physical Internet Community has access to recent developments including: PI implementation cases assessment, industry programs and activities, related start-ups, research and innovation projects, public initiatives and programs and last, but not least, 4) assist and support Industry, European Commission, Member States and Regional Governments in the process of defining high impact research policies to fast track to Physical Internet.

The cities of Madrid, Stockholm, Munich, Turku and Ruse have formed the CIVITAS ECCENTRIC consortium to tackle the challenges of mobility in suburban districts and clean, silent and CO2 free city logistics. In many cities, these two important areas have received less attention in urban mobility policies. Though European cities have made significant steps forward in making city centres attractive and liveable urban nodes, there is a remaining conflict between providing high quality public space and meeting the accessibility requirements for freight deliveries. The suburban areas have remained largely unaddressed with a much higher car usage as a consequence. Recent or expected urban growth processes are posing additional pressure to peri-central areas, which face the specific challenges of: • Becoming sufficiently appealing to avoid an unnecessary traffic flow towards to the city centre; • Providing sustainable and high quality mobility options to enable and encourage car independent lifestyles; and • Planning the urban future according to carbon neutral mobility principles. ECCENTRIC will demonstrate and test the potential and replicability of integrated and inclusive urban planning approaches, innovative policies and emerging technologies to reach sustainable urban mobility objectives. The solutions will be implemented in 5 living laboratory areas in the outskirts that face high population growth and an increasing pressure on the existing transport networks. As highlighted in the SUMPs of the ECCENTRIC cities, this action on a wider geographical scale than the city centre is needed in order to meet the targets of the Transport White Paper in terms of air quality, energy use and CO2 emissions, road casualties and wide uptake of clean vehicles. To reach CO2 free city logistics by 2030, ECCENTRIC will test clean vehicles and fuels, formulate new regulations and services and develop consolidation solutions in close partnerships with the private sector.