Dott releases first sustainability report measuring 2021 progress

Credit: Dott

European micro-mobility operator Dott has released its first annual sustainability report, measuring the impact of its operations and progress against its targets throughout 2021.

In an industry first, the report has been produced following the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards and Dott’s sustainability goals are linked directly to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Key highlights of the report include:

Long serving vehicles

Dott’s in-house operations model ensures high quality vehicle maintenance, resulting in its first generation vehicles continuing to be in use in their fourth year. The longest serving vehicles have now travelled 6,500km, equivalent to nearly twice the vertical length of Europe. Dott is now exploring new technology which would allow its batteries to be repaired, increasing the lifespan of one of the most CO₂ intensive elements of its vehicles.

Green operations

By shifting to electric vans and cargo bikes to run Dott’s operations, the operator has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 48 per cent compared to 2020, exceeding its 40 per cent target. Dott’s operations have run on 100 per cent renewable energy in its operations centres throughout Europe in 2021.

Relentless recycling

The micro-mobility company’s ‘repair first’ policy increases the lifespan of its vehicles. Those that cannot be repaired are fully dismantled, with reusable parts being used to maintain the fleet, and any remaining parts recycled. This extends to batteries, which go on to be used for energy storage at a solar farm in partnership with Blocktricity.

Supporting car-free cities

In order to make it easier for people to find sustainable and efficient alternatives to car travel, Dott has integrated with 27 Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) options, including Google Maps and FREE NOW, which has helped facilitate seamless travel combining transport modes. More than 33 per cent of e-scooter journeys now connect with a public transport service, as the micro-mobility operator supports moving people away from a reliance on cars for longer trips.

Responsible employment

Dott has rejected the gig economy since it was founded. In 2021, 194 jobs were created, with 38 per cent of HQ staff identifying as women. In addition, the ‘Ride Your Future’ programme was also initiated, offering vocational training to create career opportunities for ground teams.

Supporting local communities

The report also highlights that Dott carefully integrates to the cities it operates in. In 2021, 96 per cent of vehicles were parked correctly, with the use of slow zones providing extra protection around areas such as school and hospital entrances. In order to support local communities, the ‘Helping to Help’ programme has been launched, working with six NGO’s to facilitate their work through free and subsidised rides, donations and allocated team hours. A collaboration with OMNI has also been launched, developing a solution to make e-scooters accessible for wheelchair users.

Maxim Romain, Co-Founder and COO of Dott, said: “We believe in acting transparently, and sharing our successes as well as our learnings to help progress towards full sustainability. Our mission since launching has been to free our cities with clean rides for everyone, and we’re proud of the significant improvements we have made. We are committed to building on these as we accelerate towards green mobility.”