Green logistics: how sustainability is changing international freight
Green logistics is an approach in which transport and warehousing do less harm to the environment: cleaner vehicles, smarter routes and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Cargo still arrives just as quickly and reliably.
Cleaner transport
- battery-electric trucks with zero exhaust emissions;
- hybrids that combine combustion and electric engines and use less fuel;
- hydrogen fuel cell vehicles;
- ships and aircraft running on biofuel and alternative energy.
Smarter routes
- software that calculates the shortest and most efficient route;
- consolidation — several shipments in one trip instead of several half-empty ones;
- multimodal transport combining different modes.
By the way, groupage shipping — LCL by sea and LTL by road — is consolidation in action: fewer trips, lower emissions and a lower price for every shipper.
Renewable energy
- solar panels on warehouses and logistics centres;
- wind turbines for self-sufficient power;
- biofuel instead of regular diesel.
Green logistics is not only about the environment: optimal routes and fully loaded vehicles also cut business costs.
