From smart cartonization to last-mile delivery and beyond, supply chains offer fertile ground for new technologies to improve sustainability by trimming wasted fuel, materials and time. A number of software-driven solutions are currently helping retail shippers meet their latest environmental goals.
Start simply with packaging: Take the air out of the box. Sustainability in e-commerce begins at the SKU level — an item packed in a box.
The long-term shift from brick-and-mortar retail to online B2C, plus the massive surge in smaller, more frequent, multiple-item and time-definite orders due to COVID-19, is forcing dramatic changes in warehouse pick-and-pack operations. The e-commerce share of total retail during the second quarter alone grew by 33%. Better cartonization could reduce packaging waste and load trucks more efficiently for fewer trips.
Give shoppers more options and a better experience. Consumers want sustainable packaging and delivery options. If the environmental impacts are indicated at checkout, a range of ground options may be preferable to air. Additionally, consolidating and delivering multiple orders on a single day may be more convenient and eliminate last-mile traffic.
Finding the right balance between cost and sustainability might impossible to automate; thankfully, modern cartonization technology is up to the task.
Look for savings in the last mile. Last-mile delivery has the highest cost per mile and carbon emissions of any link in the logistics chain. Cost control in the last mile is essential for B2C retailers in an environment of smaller and more frequent orders, free time-definite shipping, multiple shipments per order, missed deliveries and returns, multiple pick-up options and white glove services.
Think outside the truck. Past a certain point an enterprise may find it has done all it practically can to directly shrink the carbon footprint of its operations. But indirect approaches, such as carbon offsets, can be used by even small and mid-sized companies in transportation and logistics, falling into the “every little bit helps” category.
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