How to Minimise the Environmental Impact of Logistics

Coronavirus has impacted many aspects of life in 2020, but it hasn’t all been bad news – at least, not for the planet. The positive benefits to the natural world have got many businesses thinking about ways they can minimise the environmental impact of their logistics.

Climate change is a major issue, with vehicle pollution seen as one of the biggest causes for concern. Nitrogen dioxide, or NO2, is a particular issue in cities as it’s one of the more harmful vehicle exhaust gases, known to contribute towards global warming.

Less pollution during lockdown

But during lockdown there was a remarkable decrease in NO2 and other harmful pollutants. This was down to the sudden drop in traffic on the roads that occurred at the end of March this year. According to a report by the BBC, NO2 levels fell by as much as 60% when compared with the same period the previous year. As more people stayed at home, there was an almost immediate improvement in air quality throughout the UK.

Campaigners desperately hoped that improved air quality levels could be maintained once lockdown was relaxed, but this doesn’t seem to be the case so far. Some reports suggest that traffic levels may even be higher than before at certain times of the day. This is thought to be partly down to a reluctance to use public transport, but also to an increase in online shopping and home deliveries.

But it’s clear that public opinion is firmly on the side of cleaner air. Surveys carried out throughout Europe show that two-thirds of respondents don’t want a return to pre-Covid air pollution levels, even if that means limiting vehicles in cities.

Cleaner logistics solutions

With businesses keener than ever before to conform to the public’s expectations, it’s no surprise that so many of them are now looking to reduce their carbon footprint. And the way in which parts deliveries are organised plays a major part in that process. For example, do you have field service engineers that spend time collecting parts? Those parts could be delivered to their vehicle boots overnight, so your employees are spared a journey.

In Boot, Just In Time and In Night distribution means your packages are being collected, sorted and delivered more efficiently, including at night when the roads are quieter. No traffic jams mean less pollution, adding up to fewer journeys for your employees. Instead, they can start their day’s work with everything they need, which is good for them, good for your customers, and good for your business too!

Every business should consider ways in which they can reduce their environmental impact. Choosing cleaner and greener logistics solutions is just one of the ways to go about it.

GenRev provides a range of smart and efficient logistic solutions to help you reduce the carbon footprint of your organisation. Please contact us to find out how we can help your company move towards a more environmentally-friendly approach to distribution.