Zero-emission delivery service Liefergrün raises €3 million in seed round, now looks beyond German borders

Munster-based Liefergrün has raised €3 million in a seed funding round in order to roll out its zero-emission last-mile delivery services across Europe. Likewise, the capital will be used to further grow the team numbers and expand its offer. 

The past few years have seen a number of radical shifts in our day-to-day thinking. As we’ve all been forced to completely rework the way we work and live, two front runners in this shift have been e-commerce and the associated logistics involved in getting those online purchases to your doorstep.

At the same time, sustainability concerns and in particular, the reduction or elimination of CO2 emissions have taken their place at centre stage.

According to bitkom, more than three-quarters of German consumers are regularly making online purchases, a figure that is steadily on the rise. Germany’s 4.05 billion e-commerce deliveries accounted for the production of 2.43 million tonnes of CO2, or 600 grams per delivery.

Now factor in that these delivery numbers are expected to climb to a hefty 5.7 billion by 2025, and the carbon figures are going to require a bigger chart to plot.

By deploying a fleet of cargo bikes and electric vehicles operating out of any number of micro distributions hubs in 30 cities across Germany, Liefergrün founders Niklas Tauch, Max Schleper, and Robin Wingenbach are hoping to put a dent in these alarming numbers.

The company estimates that their method generates only 180 grams of carbon per delivery, thus eliminating 420 grams from the current standard. To put that into perspective, if Liefergrün’s methods were applied Germany-wide, 1.7 million tonnes of CO2 would never have to see the light of day. Or dark of eve.

With only 14 months passing between founding and today, the startup counts Adidas, Dyson, and Every amongst its client base, offering customers fully trackable, two-hour and next-day delivery services.

“Liefergrün is about creating a global green solution to delivery which doesn’t compromise on the quality of service to customers. This funding is an important step in our journey,” commented Tauch.

Liefergrün’s €3 million seed round was led by Speedinvest and saw participation from impact VC fund Norrsken.

"Many cities across the world are facing the same challenge of getting a grip on the flood of deliveries that reduce air quality and make a big contribution to climate change,” commented Speedinvest’s Mathias Ockenfels. “You only need to see how rapidly Liefergrün has grown to see just how attractive its offering is to consumers and businesses alike. It is already a big player in the 30 largest cities in Germany.”