Green Logistics: How to Make Your Supply Chain Sustainable

Being truly sustainable means finding ways to reduce your carbon emissions and environmental impact at all stages of the product journey. From material procurement, to shipping domestically or internationally, to last-mile logistics, your supply chain has one of the largest impacts. Finding ways to make it more sustainable can contribute greatly to your green initiatives.

At Allegro Freight Forwarding, we’re committed to helping our clients get the best route for their shipments, whether that’s for speed, cost-efficiency, sustainability, or any other factor. In this article, we’ll discuss what the environmental impact of logistics and freight is, and how they can be mitigated at various stages of the journey.

Want a sustainable end-to-end logistics solution? Contact the team today.

The Environmental Impact of Logistics and Freight

Logistics and freight have a large impact on your sustainability. They involve fuel for transportation, space for storage at either end, energy to run digital systems and electrics, and material resources for packaging and assets.

Individually, these components might not add up to much, but together they can make a sizeable impact. Looking at each aspect of your freight’s journey, from source to customer, can help you make informed decisions that improve your sustainability across the board.

In logistics and freight, the place to put the most effort is in considering your transportation options: what methods you use, how they’re connected, and how you can continue to offer excellence while enhancing your sustainability.

Using Green Transportation Options

Throughout your product manufacture and fulfilment, there will be many different opportunities to utilise green transportation options. Due to the carbon emissions of vehicles, especially when carrying weighty shipments, being environmentally aware at this stage can have the greatest impact on your overall sustainability.

Here is a breakdown of the different common transportation options:

Air Freight. Often seen as the express option, air freight can have room for sustainability. Sending your shipments as consolidated will combine them with other packages, making for a more cost-effective and sustainable solution. However, compared to other options, this is still generally the most harmful to the environment.

Sea Freight. On the other hand, sea freight is often seen as one of the most environmentally friendly shipping options. While the long transit times and massive vessels do produce sizeable emissions, the large capacity and relatively low fuel-to-weight ratio make sea freight a great option for sustainability.

Road Freight. When looking at domestic markets or land-locked countries, road freight can offer a range of options in itself. Electric vehicles and alternative delivery methods like cargo bikes are becoming more prevalent, but these are only suitable for the last mile. Short deliveries in places like Europe can still be more sustainable from typical road freight vehicles than other options, but this is quickly diminished when the distance is increased or more vehicles are added.

Rail Freight. Finally, rail freight can be a great option when looking at your sustainability. The low mobilisation costs, high capacity, and direct routes for rail make it ideal when trying to minimise your environmental impact. However, it will typically need to be used multi-modal with other transportation methods due to the limitations of rail networks, meaning it won’t be your full solution.

Explore the advantages of air freight vs sea freight >

Eco-Friendly Packaging Solutions

Now that you’ve explored the transportation options and picked the one that matches your delivery requirements and environmental goals, the next step is to improve the sustainability of other elements of your products and business. The first big place to look is your product packaging.

Packaging is vital to show your brand identity, protect the products from damage, and keep their contents in good condition. For certain products like pharmaceuticals, keeping them secure is vital for product integrity and end-user health.

However, this doesn’t mean you need to go all out with your packaging. Finding the right balance is important, as excess packaging can cost you money, reduce the amount you can ship per load, and impact your sustainability.

The best solution for eco-friendly packaging is to look at the circular waste economy of your products. Try and use materials that are easily recycled, and are even made from recycled materials themselves. This means when they reach their destination, they can be broken down and used again rather than going to landfill.

Carbon Footprint Reduction Strategies

Your carbon footprint is made up of all the emissions you produce or contribute to during your business operations. This includes the procurement, manufacturing, and fulfilment processes.

Here is a checklist of different carbon footprint reduction strategies you can employ for your business:

Use Green Transportation Methods

Explore the green transportation methods we listed above and find the one that matches your product. Working with a freight forwarder can help you get the best solution that tailors to your requirements, balancing sustainability with cost and speed.

Cut Down on Packaging

Reduce the thickness or quantity of unrecyclable materials in your product packaging where possible. Try to innovate and balance the security of your products with the sustainability of your packaging – this can also help to lower costs for both you and your customers.

Use Recycled Materials in Products and Packaging

Prevent the use of virgin materials by utilising recycled goods. Contribute to a circular waste economy by creating products and packaging that are easily recyclable themselves.

Utilise Warehouse Space Efficiently

Even while in storage, products impact sustainability. This is because the warehouse space will need to be maintained, which requires consuming energy. Utilising space efficiently lowers the contribution of your products to a warehouse’s operation, thereby reducing your share of the carbon footprint.

Additionally, moving your goods quickly and ensuring they don’t remain in storage or as dead stock for too long can also help improve your sustainability.

Ensure Energy Efficiency in Your Premises

Your own premises are also vital to your carbon footprint. From insulation, to efficient heating and ventilation, to improved business practices, there are many different ways you can enhance your on-site sustainability.

Sustainability Certifications for Logistics

Here are a few things extra to watch out for when looking for a sustainable logistics partner:

Sustainable Partners. Consider whether your logistics provider has any sustainability initiatives or partners, such as The Tree App.
Multi-Modal Solutions. Consider whether your partner offers different transport methods, and if they have the knowledge and networks required to combine them into a seamless, efficient journey.
The ISO 14001 regards the Environmental Management System (EMS) certification, and demonstrates the sustainability of your partner.
Individual Certifications. Your partner’s team might have individual certifications like the SSCLP that show sustainability awareness at a high level.

Sustainable End-to-End Logistics from Allegro Freight Forwarding

Making your supply chain more sustainable can be challenging due to the emissions and energy the process consumes, regardless of which freight options you choose. However, by being aware of the impact this step can have, you can make decisions which improve the sustainability of the entire process.

At Allegro Freight Forwarding, it is our commitment to provide a quality end-to-end logistics solution that achieves your goals for efficiency, cost, and sustainability. Get your custom quote today!

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