This paper delves into the zero-emission city logistics readiness of businesses located in the earmarked Dutch inner cities, which are gearing up towards decreasing the emissions attributable to urban logistics activities. Emission reduction is to be achieved by rolling out mandated zero-emission zones which are to be implemented in 30-40 Dutch cities from the 1st January 2025, with the dates set and municipalities planning towards the banning of diesel-fuelled commercial vehicles. This research seeks to determine the extent of zero-emission operational maturity by use of the zero-emission maturity model by examining the four biggest cities in the southern Dutch Province of Noord Brabant. The research shows a low level of awareness among companies in the cities of Eindhoven, Breda, ’s-Hertogenbosch, and Tilburg and calls for better methods of information dissemination, especially among the small to medium businesses who don't consider city logistics as their core business.

With the approach of the zero-emission zone implementation in 30-40 cities mandated by the Dutch climate agreement in 2025, comes the need to determine whether the SMEs located within these zones are aware of the coming changes. The zero emission zones are set to change how city logistics is currently being executed with the aim of decreasing emissions in the city centre by transitioning to zero emission vehicles and optimizing deliveries to create less flows. However, it is currently unclear whether small to medium businesses located within these zones know about the new regulations within their local municipalities. This article delves into the initial results of The Zero-Emission City Logistics Maturity QuickScans which are used to facilitate the determination of the maturity of small to medium enterprises in light of zero-emission city logistics operations.