“Sustainable Logistics:A Win-Win for Businesses and the Planet”
Written by Phil Loynes
Sustainable Logistics: A Win-Win for Businesses and the Planet
As consumers become more environmentally conscious, businesses are under pressure to adopt more sustainable practices. This is especially true for companies that ship products, as the transportation of goods can have a significant impact on the environment, creating a big carbon footprint.
The courier industry is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, the United Nations estimates that the industry accounts for about 5% of global emissions. As a result, courier companies are under pressure to reduce their carbon footprint. Many companies are taking steps to do so, including:
Investing in electric vehicles. Electric vehicles produce zero emissions, making them a more sustainable option for couriers. While there are arguments about how sustainable battery manufacturing is, the vehicles themselves don’t produce any emissions on their routes and are cheaper to run, which is a win-win for the courier.
Optimising routes. By optimizing their routes, couriers can reduce the amount of fuel they use. This saves them money, but also helps reduce emissions from combustion engine collection vehicles, and reduces electricity draw for their electrical vehicles. By optimising routes, the courier can plan routes that are as efficient as possible. For example, couriers can avoid driving through congested areas at peak times, make sure they are driving in one general direction rather than back and forth across an area, and can consolidate deliveries to make the most of each trip. This also helps ensure more collections happen first time, avoiding those annoying days when the courier runs out of time and doesn’t arrive to collect your parcels from you that day.
Using lighter packaging. Lighter packaging means less fuel is used to transport goods. With advances in packaging, making lightweight packaging more sturdy, it allows the couriers to carry more goods on their vehicles, and burning less fuel to do so. As well as using lighter packaging, just using less packaging in general makes a big difference. We all know of those companies that send out packages in huge cardboard boxes, even when the product inside is only very small.
As well as the big courier companies, there are a number of ways that small and medium sized companies can make their shipping more environmentally friendly. Some of these methods can also save money, which is a win-win for businesses and the planet.
Here are a few tips for environmentally friendly shipping:
Use recycled materials There are a number of recycled materials that can be used for shipping, such as recycled cardboard boxes, packing peanuts, and bubble wrap. Using recycled materials helps to reduce the amount of waste that is sent to landfills. While it is not always advisable, due to the deterioration of cardboard if kept in damp environments, sometimes it is possible to simply re-use cardboard boxes multiple times for sending parcels in. This option is even more eco friendly than using recycled boxes. When you can’t re-use cardboard boxes, make sure to recycle them, instead of throwing them away.
Pack your products efficiently The more tightly you pack your products, the less space they will take up in the courier’s vehicle. This will accumulatively have a big impact on lowering shipping costs, and if your products are packaged securely, it also reduces the amount of damages in transit from items bouncing around inside your box while on its way to your customer. Aside from direct savings and benefits for your company, the less space your parcels take up, the more a single lorry or van can fit, helping to cut down on the amount of vehicles necessary on a route for all collections, and in turn reducing emissions.
Choose the right shipping method Not all shipping methods are created equal. Some methods, such as air freight, are more environmentally friendly than others. Consider the distance that your products are traveling when choosing a shipping method. Does your product absolutely need to be delivered next day internationally, or can it wait 2 or 3 days? The difference between express and economy shipping transit times for some international shipments is not that big, but the difference in cost can be huge, along with the increase in carbon emissions that some express options create.
Consolidate your shipments You can save time and money by consolidating your shipping. Instead of sending out a few parcels every single day, you could instead send all parcels out once or twice a week on a designated day. This saves you from having those moments every single day where nothing else can be done while you focus on the mad rush of dealing with courier collections. It also means the couriers are making fewer collections, and are driving fewer miles as a result.
This is not an exhaustive list of things that companies can do to make their shipping more environmentally friendly, and there are lots of other things that you can do. In fact, companies that find different ways to show their environmentally friendly credentials could find that they have an edge over their competitors. So be creative, and give your customers a reason to choose you over the competition!
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