Unidentified Parcels
Since 2024, GLS has reintegrated over 9,000 parcels into the distribution network thanks to its center of expertise, the “Excellence Lab.”
June 19, 2025 | Lyon, France
GLS France, a specialist in first- to last-mile delivery, distributes over 70 million parcels annually across France and abroad. Committed to continuously optimizing the quality of its services, GLS inaugurated the “Excellence Lab” in 2018—a unique center located near Lyon, fully dedicated to handling unidentified parcels. Since its creation, this expert unit, combining technological innovation and human expertise, has enabled the reintegration of over 9,000 parcels into the distribution network.
No quality, no future! This is the principle that drives the company’s 96 branches to drastically reduce the number of “UPs” (Unidentified Parcels), which cannot be delivered due to insufficient information.
Aware of the legitimate expectations of French customers to receive their orders on time and in good condition, GLS founded the Excellence Lab with a clear ambition: to go further in resolving complex cases by offering a tangible, human, and technological solution to a major logistical challenge, with ever-higher service quality as the goal.
In 2024, the Excellence Lab handled over 20,000 unidentified parcels—an average of 1,600 per month.
The Excellence Lab: a dedicated unit for identifying and reallocating UPs (Unidentified Parcels)
In 2018, GLS established this unique center near Lyon, centralizing and carefully analyzing all received parcels. The lab handles parcels that, for technical reasons—such as missing or unreadable labels, invalid addresses, torn or unidentifiable parcels, damaged packaging, or insufficient protection—cannot be delivered.
This unprecedented setup brings together human and technological resources to help customers recover their lost parcels. Thanks to this center of expertise, each parcel becomes an investigation; every clue is a chance to reconnect sender and recipient.
Every month, around 1,500 unidentified parcels arrive at the Excellence Lab. During the peak season (three months), this number can rise to between 2,000 and 2,500 parcels. Over 50% of them are successfully matched with a recipient or sender and are redelivered, thanks to GLS’s team expertise and a real investigative effort now enhanced by artificial intelligence tools.
These technologies exploit the smallest clues (packaging, label fragments, internal documents) and enrich a centralized database to aid parcel identification.
When no lead is found after three months of investigation, the contents are given a second life.
Some items are entrusted to specialized resellers for repurposing. Clothing and essential goods are donated to the French Red Cross, under a partnership established in 2023. This partnership was strengthened in January 2025 by a special donation worth €7,000 in goods from unidentified parcels.
The Excellence Lab: Raising awareness and helping clients prevent unidentified parcels
Beyond traceability, the Excellence Lab also has an educational mission. Working with professional clients, GLS teams provide concrete recommendations to improve shipment quality: better packaging, size compliance, secure labeling, etc.—a proactive approach aimed at sustainably reducing the volume of unidentified parcels.
This initiative reflects GLS’s commitment to more responsible logistics, combining operational efficiency, waste reduction, and local solidarity.
About GLS
GLS Group is one of the largest parcel services providers in Europe, with a strong local presence in almost all countries across the continent. It also operates through wholly-owned subsidiaries in Canada and on the USA’s West Coast within one GLS network. This allows GLS to seamlessly connect its customers and communities with millions of parcels and stories every day. GLS’ network connects its markets with high velocity and flexibility to respond to their fast-changing and dynamic nature. The company provides its customers across 40 countries high-quality service that best suits their needs. The GLS network consists of over 120 hubs and more than 1,600 depots, supported by more than 35,600 walkers, light vehicles and vans, and 6,100 trucks. This offers network resilience, superior flexibility, and extended reach. In 2023/24, GLS generated record revenues of 5.6 billion euros and delivered 905 million parcels across the markets. For more information, visit
www.gls-group.com
GLS France Media Contact
communication@gls-france.com