The Benefits of Sustainable Logistics

As well as consumers, national governments and local governments (and their citizens) are all demanding more sustainability from businesses. The more sustainable your logistics and supply chain processes are, the kindlier these stakeholders may smile upon you if they need the services of a logistics company.

If you're using a sustainable logistics management system and lowering your carbon footprint, it's a win for the environment, for you and for the stakeholders above. Your brand's reputation will grow, and customers will warm to you.

The better you plan your logistics, the higher your profit margin could be. Smart planning, such as being able to identify issues in a route early and adjust to them, and using green vehicles to cut fuel costs, create opportunities for your profit margins to swell up. Electric vehicles are fast becoming the future, and if you get in on the action, you can keep your business environmentally conscious while still providing a high level of service and remaining cost-effective.

Although fuel cost is the primary cost when it comes to transportation, many other elements of logistics can incur costs. The different parts of the vehicles, the oil and, in the case of the trucks, the minimum of four tyres are all examples of wastage that bumps up costs. Inefficient transportation forces the business to replace these items, which will wear out anyway, more often and put a dent in the sustainability of the business.

Sustainable manufacturing, to quote from the US's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website, is 'the creation of manufactured products through economically-sound processes that minimize negative environmental impacts while conserving energy and natural resources. It's become an important part of long-term strategy, stretching far beyond small businesses and niche companies that have long positioned themselves as 'green' businesses.

Sustainable manufacturing processes offer several different benefits:

• greater operational efficiency because of lesser wastage;
• response to, or connection with, new customers;
• a stronger competitive advantage;
• protection and reinforcement of brand reputation;
• development of long-term business viability;
• compliance with regulations and responding to opportunities.

Businesses move along the sustainability path further in different ways:

• adoption of a formal, integral and coordinated approach to sustainability;/
• focus on generating higher revenues and becoming more competitive;
• advancement beyond compliance by innovating, creating scenarios and conducting strategic analysis;
• integration of sustainability across business functions;
• long-term focus;
• collaboration with stakeholders.

Loading and unloading is also an avenue for sustainability in logistics.

The use of our products can help you to reduce your own emissions and operate in an eco-friendlier way. Our automated loading solutions, which are handy when you're dealing with lots of pallets, lighten the load by removing the need for forklift trucks. At the same time, they lower your emissions by eliminating this need; and, depending on how you power your forklift trucks, this reduces your own fuel consumption (and costs). Automation also reduces product damage, which translates into less waste.

The same is true of manual solutions such as our skate and track, roller track and powered cargo rollers. Each of these products cancels out the need for forklift trucks and, by extension, cuts your own emission levels. Maintenance is easier, too, and in some cases even more sustainable because some of these systems call for less oil to keep them in good condition.

Sustainable logistics is important to help your business thrive, as well as to play your part in caring for the planet. Taking that extra time in your business planning to consider how you can make your operations more sustainable can transform your business into a more profitable one that wins the hearts of consumers, who see your company as one that cares.