Companies globally are prioritizing sustainability initiatives and identifying opportunities to reduce their carbon footprints. Since the supply chain is often responsible for more emissions than operations, the supply chain is a great place to focus on sustainability.
Here are some tips for reducing your company’s carbon footprint.
1. Choose Truck Routing Wisely
Make sure you’re capturing backhauls and avoiding carriers pulling empty trailers to avoid unnecessary fuel burn.
2. Reduce Your Primary LTL Carriers
Each vendor coming to your dock is a carbon footprint calculation. Identify the high-performing carriers, group shipments that make sense with rate options, and renegotiate freight rates for yourself while saving the planet by taking extra trucks off the road.
3. Consolidate Your Freight
Group small parcel shipments together to make LTL pallets. Group LTL pallets together to move a partial TL order. If your order does not have the AI software to handle this, partner with a 4PL that can run optimization software and return part of the savings back to your company in the form of a monthly gainshare. You’re saving the company money and preventing carbon emissions simultaneously.
4. Adjust Your Warehouse Hours
Choosing specific hours a warehouse operates can have an enormous impact. For example, if you have a food vendor, consider adding air conditioning or bump the vendor to night work during the coolest part of the day. Figure out shifts that are more environmentally sustainable to lower the energy your facility consumes.
5. Minimize Transportation
Review return policies and the reverse supply chain to see how truck transportation and fuel can be reduced. Can items be disposed of or donated before shipping? Good business is smart for your bottom line and for the planet.
6. Enlist a 4PL
The bottom line: A company can reduce its carbon footprint by operating more efficiently. Better use of both freight transportation and warehouse capacity will reduce unnecessary resources and cut costs. A 4PL has the expertise and technologies necessary to implement strategy on your individual sustainability initiatives.
Need help streamlining your supply chain and reducing waste? Contact us today!