As sustainability becomes more important to consumers, industries of all sorts are challenged to rethink their day-to-day operations. The logistics sector is no exception.
Driving goods across the country, all day, everyday, can be particularly taxing on the environment. Especially with the pressure to deliver goods faster than ever.
The good news is there are alternative options and simple measures you can take to make your logistic operations more sustainable. The key is to find a middle ground between maximizing consumer expectations and minimizing environmental impact.
Read on to discover 4 tips for a more sustainable logistics operation.
Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle
The three R’s are known almost religiously in environmental communities. This is for good reason. Reducing, reusing, and recycling are great principles, not just for living life, but also for operating a business.
Step one is to reduce the amount of materials wasted throughout the operation. An environmental audit can help you find areas of excessive waste that need to be minimized.
Next is to reuse any salvageable materials from one delivery to the next. Things such as wooden pallets, plastic bags, or packaging bubbles are great materials to use again and again.
Finally, find areas of the operation where waste can be recycled. Again, look toward your plastic output. You can also consider using reusable packaging and materials that the consumer can recycle after delivery.
Use On-the-Road Data
One of the best ways to help the environment is to make delivery trips as optimized as possible. For example, if you’re sending three packages to the same location, you’ll want all these packages shipped out on the same truck.
Seems obvious enough, but there is more data that can be harvested in order to optimize delivery services. Some apps allow consumers to designate when they will be home to receive the package, for example. This minimizes wasted trips to empty houses.
Finding the data of where your packages are being delivered and how effectively they are being received can minimize the carbon footprint of your logistics operation.
Pop-up Warehouses
How can you deliver things all over the country, on time, while still minimizing the carbon impact of the delivery trucks? The answer is simple: utilize pop-up warehouses.
Pop-up warehouses are temporary storage houses for products. They are helpful for times when orders are unusually high, such as during the holidays.
By investing in pop-up warehouses at strategic times of the year, as well as in strategic places in the country, you can be more efficient in your delivery services.
Alternative Vehicles & Fuels
Outdated, gas-guzzling vehicles are one of the leading causes of pollution. If you’re looking for a more environmentally friendly logistics plan, consider updating your vehicles and fueling options.
It may be a major expense upfront, but newer vehicles will save you more money over time because they are more efficient on gas.
In addition, consider biofuels over gasoline, and gasoline over diesel fuel. Gas engines aren’t stellar for the environment, but compared to diesel engines, they are much greener.
Green 3PL Company on the East Coast
Another way to have greener logistics operations is to outsource it altogether. Here at Cannon Hill Logistics, we care about the environment just as much as we care about your business. Contact us for a quote!