The industry over the past few years has had several fluctuations, trends and movements. These have ranged from changes in the popularity of certain shipping materials to the type of things being shipped most often.
Unfortunately, a lot of these fluctuations have resulted in more environmental waste. The good news however, is that with this development comes plenty of knowledge too on how to limit environmental impact. There are several steps that warehouses and businesses can take everyday to ensure that a difference is made. Tim Jennings, President of Custom Case Group, set the below guideline as means to take towards going green in the logistics industry.
Transportation Management Systems (TMS)
TMS software platforms are evolving and are getting more user-friendly by day. This is one factor that makes them the most powerful tool when considering long-term sustainability. This choice of technology enables the automation of some of the most effective green practices such as
- Optimize terrestrial transport rounds
- Analyze data for transportation mode and provider efficiency
- Manage multiple methods, including maritime, motor carrier, rail, and air
- Track shipping and transport in real time
- Monitor KPI for specific factors like productivity and costs per mile and weight
- Optimize shipping load and vehicle route
- Conduct simulation studies for transport costs and schemes
- Conduct batch order shipping
- Generate cost control and KPI metrics
- Conduct and analyze freight audits
Green Company Culture
This is one of the most important and successful ways of going green in any industry. A green company culture means that each member of your team, no matter how small, makes a conscious choice to take decisions that will result in the overall reduction of waste. Promoting a company culture that understands and values green choices will make your employees understand that the impact of small things such as choosing one material over another or reusing plastic sheeting that they were going to discard could have influence on the bottom line and future of our planet.
Reusable Cases
Customizing and manufacturing reusable cases is crucial when it comes to sustainability. Reusable cases are able to reduce shipping-based environmental waste by making less demand for case manufacturing resources and by limiting shipping-related product damages.
Direct Thermal Printing
Thermal transfer printing has been the set standard for shipping labels. However, the transfer ribbon used in the process unfortunately is made with crude oil products which have bad consequences on the environment. The ribbons are not only manufactured using non-renewable resources, but they also release harmful emissions during the printing process. Direct thermal printing has become the newer greener option as it’s able to eliminate the ribbon. Additionally, recent label coating advancements have reduced the well-known “label fading” problem.
Lean Thinking
Finally, lean thinking is another solid direction towards making efforts in sustainability. The bottom line and idea with the meaning and approach of lean thinking is simple – do more with less. Approaching all daily tasks with this kind of thinking will ensure that you are well on your way towards greener operations.
Did you know that Dovetail offer Transport Management Systems in Africa?
For more on Lean Thinking, see several ways on How To Get Rid Of Non-Traditional Wastes!
Source: inboundlogistics