3 Steps for Sustainable Logistics

How green is your logistics? Companies are discovering the value of integrating sustainability in all areas of operations, especially logistics. Logistics, an important part of supply chain management, involves the planning, implementation, and control of the efficient and effective flow and storage of goods, services and related information from Point A to Point B to meet customer requirements.

If you want to ensure that your logistics are sustainable, start here:

• Collaborate
  Engaging all the people included in logistics, such as retail partners and logistics suppliers, will enable everyone to be well-informed and to be on the same page. Tackling environmental impacts and solutions in terms of production processes with every retail partner and logistics supplier is a good idea. They may suggest ways to improve their processes. Collaboratively aligning different priorities is also important, bringing balance between short-term and long-terms goals.

• Improve current processes and technologies
  In our global business environment, the process of logistics continues to become more complicated due to increased demand for complex information and communication control. The logistical process includes production, consumption, storage and disposal. Requiring real-time updates for each process enables the company to track the relationship between production and movement of their products or services. When it comes to the technologies used in the production process, it is better to use those which are energy efficient. Investing in new technologies will help reduce emissions. The use of transportation for products and services can be improved, too, through shorter and more effective routes.

• View sustainability as an opportunity
  Incorporating sustainability into an organization’s logistics through collaboration and improved processes will enable a company to be cost-effective and optimize their resource use. When sustainability is viewed as an opportunity for long-term financial viability, sustainability projects are easier to justify and become an important strategy of an organization.

Incorporating sustainability for every organization might require different steps; innovation and consistency are surely part of the process. In a world where sustainability matters, a company that is environmentally-conscious with regard to factors that can help them grow responsibly is one step closer to having an improved bottom line.

FirstCarbon Solutions (FCS) advances sustainability practices around the globe, offering fully integrated consulting, software and data management services. With expertise in LCA and Supply Chain Services, we develop cost-effective solutions to help businesses recognize sustainability as a main driver for practices and regulations, and integrate sustainability in their daily operations. For more information on global trends in managing your supply chain, subscribe to our monthly newsletter, GreenWatch.