Emission-free delivery is no longer a niche ask from a handful of eco-conscious brands. It’s becoming a baseline expectation, and Amsterdam’s Sparqle just secured €1.5 million in fresh funding, including EU backing, to meet that demand at scale. The February 2026 round follows a €1.2 million raise in 2024 and marks a clear signal that sustainable last-mile delivery infrastructure in Europe is attracting serious capital.
Sparqle was founded in 2021 by Tim van Alphen, Ruurd Tjeerdema, and Maurice Stam. The company runs a technology platform that connects eCommerce retailers to a network of local delivery carriers using e-cargo bikes and electric vehicles. Clients include Decathlon and Ricoh, two brands that operate at very different scales but share the same need for reliable, low-emission urban delivery.
The Delivery Problem:
Most online retailers treat delivery as the last step of a transaction. Sparqle’s position is different. As Ruurd Tjeerdema, co-founder, puts it: the delivery industry is focused on cost and volume instead of customer experience, the system is outdated, and today’s consumers expect a seamless experience at every step of the journey, but that positive experience too often ends at delivery, where a single misstep can destroy the trust a brand has carefully built. In Tjeerdema’s words: “Delivery is the only physical point of contact an online brand has with its customer. It needs to feel like an integrated brand experience. We see delivery as part of the product our clients sell.”
The numbers back that up. 73% of consumers switch retailers after a bad delivery experience. That’s not a retention problem, it’s a revenue problem. At the same time, 32% of consumers say sustainability is the most important factor when selecting delivery options. Retailers that can’t offer emission-free delivery are already losing a portion of their potential customers before the first parcel ships.
How Sparqle Works:
Sparqle’s platform handles the full delivery stack, from order intake and routing through to customer communication and sustainability reporting. Retailers integrate via API, and the platform runs AI-powered route optimization to reduce both cost and emissions simultaneously.
The numbers from current clients are concrete. Parfumado reduced its missing delivery rate from 10% to under 0.1% after moving to Sparqle. Tenue de Nimes achieved up to 75% fewer emissions compared to its previous delivery setup. These are operational improvements, not just environmental ones.
The platform claims a 99.8% on-time delivery rate, same-day and scheduled delivery windows with time selection, and live tracking throughout. For eCommerce brands where post-purchase experience drives repeat orders, those metrics matter directly to revenue.
The Regulatory Push:
European cities are moving toward emission-free zones, and the CSRD, the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, now requires larger companies to report in detail on their emissions and environmental impact. Sparqle’s platform is built with this compliance layer already included.
For eCommerce operators and logistics managers looking at their carbon reporting obligations, a delivery partner that generates ready-made sustainability data removes a meaningful operational headache. You can read more about how sustainable logistics is reshaping eCommerce operations in European markets across our startup logistics coverage.
Who is Behind the Funding:
The 2024 round was led by business angels including the former Managing Director of Deliveroo EU, the former CTO of Just Eat Takeaway, and the Bloomon founder, alongside Graduate Entrepreneur Fund. The latest €1.5 million round adds EU-backed financing into the mix. Sparqle also became a Certified B Corporation, a status that requires third-party verification of social and environmental performance.
Tim van Alphen, co-founder of Sparqle, framed the company’s direction clearly: “We are building an infrastructure designed to be the backbone of future-focused eCommerce. Our focus is on companies that understand that conversion, customer satisfaction, and sustainability go hand in hand, and that’s exactly what we deliver.”
Ruurd Tjeerdema, co-founder, adds: “Our mission is to create a logistics ecosystem that combines sustainability with performance and customer satisfaction. We don’t design band-aids for a broken system, we’re building the foundation on which current and next-generation eCommerce can thrive.”
What This Funding Enables:
Sparqle currently operates in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. The new capital is directed at expanding the carrier network, deepening platform capabilities, and scaling zero-emission logistics infrastructure across Europe. The company is building the infrastructure layer, not just running couriers, which means its unit economics improve as volume across the network grows.
For eCommerce founders and logistics operators evaluating delivery partners in Europe, the practical question is straightforward: does your current carrier give you zero-emission delivery, live tracking, CSRD-ready sustainability reports, and a 99.8% on-time rate together? If the answer is no, that’s the gap Sparqle is filling.
Emission-free delivery is where European eCommerce regulation and consumer expectation are both heading. Sparqle’s latest funding positions the company to be the infrastructure that handles that transition for retailers across Europe.
