Sustainability, one of the major challenges facing the logistics sector in 2023

[More and more individuals, companies and institutions are showing their firm commitment to sustainability and care for our environment.
But what does this commitment translate into?
Does it translate into real actions that directly benefit our planet?
The answer to these questions is a real headache for all those who are truly aware of the need to protect our environment, and especially for companies in the logistics sector.
In an economic context in which rising inflation, energy and fuel costs have led the transport sector into an unprecedented crisis, the logistics sector is playing a leading role, with the great challenge of achieving cost savings while at the same time making logistics increasingly sustainable.
The rise of online commerce has revolutionized the transport sector, which must not only be much more efficient, but must also respond to the growing ecological and environmental awareness of online shoppers, who demand environmentally friendly delivery options.
In this sense, the logistics sector must also embrace this commitment and the major challenges it poses to its business.
Evidence of the major transformation that our industry has yet to face is provided by the findings of the Simon-Kucher & Partners study, which shows that while 55% of European companies consider sustainability to be highly relevant (64% in Southern European countries, 55% in Southern European countries and 44% in Western European countries), the majority of respondents focus their sustainability initiatives on reducing the emissions of polluting gases they produce.
However, when it comes to selecting a logistics service provider, only 31% consider this issue to be very important (34% in Central Europe, 36% in Southern Europe or 25% in Western Europe).
The study concludes that many companies in the logistics sector, as of today, already have emissions targets in line with the Paris Agreement, however few have defined the economic commitments that these targets entail and therefore, it is not clear who will assume the final cost overrun.
For all these reasons, the report highlights that measures to reduce emissions in logistics are not sufficient to achieve carbon neutrality, as companies in the sector do not know what concrete and feasible measures are to be taken.
On the other hand, it is also unclear whether the market is ready to take on costly logistics solutions, even if they are truly environmentally beneficial.
The challenge is therefore to design clear objectives and productively take on sustainable logistics solutions.  

A global challenge

  The 2015 Paris agreement, signed within the framework of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change, focuses on reducing carbon emissions into the atmosphere and, more specifically, on achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
To achieve this, financing and appropriate technology are needed, as well as collaboration with the most vulnerable or developing countries.
These are ambitious objectives in which not only the logistics industry, but every person, company, state, public administration and institution must be involved.
This need for involvement of each and every one of the parties affected by climate change is reflected, for example, in the preferences of online shoppers.
Despite the fact that the majority of online shoppers say they are committed to reducing greenhouse gases, in Spain only 5% of users would be willing to use smart lockers or install delivery lockers in their neighborhoods, which would reduce CO2 emissions by 63%.   The lack of knowledge of public administrations about the casuistry of urban delivery and the absence of criteria and planning of spaces in the urban environment for logistics activities do not facilitate the sustainability of the sector either.
In a context of growth in commercial activities that require urban deliveries, accentuated by ecommerce, a paradigm shift is needed in which not only logistics players and customers take responsibility for sustainable initiatives, but also administrations, which will have to implement an urban distribution network that responds to the needs of the new trade and the logistics that make it possible.  

Harnessing resources to protect the planet

  Improving the internal organization of logistics companies and making optimal use of resources is key to achieving a more sustainable sector.
In addition, not only will fuel savings be achieved, but also important environmental advantages, such as the reduction of CO2 emissions and therefore the carbon footprint.   Within the logistics sector, decisions as common as the choice of one or another material for transport can make a difference.
A clear example of fuel savings would be the choice of reused plastic pallets versus wooden pallets.
The characteristics and properties of plastic, which is much lighter than wood, translate into considerable savings in fuel and, therefore, in polluting emissions.
On the other hand, the integration of sustainable processes, especially in “last mile” transport, such as geolocation, stock, fleet and route management or investment in small zero-emission vehicles, can be giant steps towards achieving the Paris objectives.   In short, sustainability is not a whim or a fad. Saving the planet is an urgent necessity that will be achieved with a joint effort by governments, companies, consumers, NGOs and institutions of all kinds[:][:].