Major manufacturers and retailers refine shipping and logistics operations to save energy costs
2nd September 2008
High fuel prices are leading major manufacturers and retailers to refine their shipping and logistics operations to save energy costs. The question is, what took them so long? Joel Makower at www.greenbiz.com reports
The art and science of shipping goods from hither to yon — and doing it cost-effectively and on time — has been focusing on the energy equation for years, especially as companies become increasingly cognizant of their carbon footprints. Many of these companies, especially brand leaders, are being asked to measure, track, and publicly report their contributions to climate change, and shipping goods across oceans and continents is often a major component.
A survey just released by eyefortransport tells us what for most green-minded professionals seems obvious: High fuel prices are causing the country’s manufacturers, retailers and logistics providers to rethink their transportation strategies. But this is old hat to some companies. Several industry constortia — notably, Business for Social Responsibility’s Clean Cargo Working Group and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Smartway program — have helped major manufacturers and retailers (and their cargo-hauling vendors) to find more eco-efficient and less-costly solutions to their transport needs.
Companies seem to be finding a boatload of opportunities for improvement. In the eyefortransport study, almost half of the respondents “believe that volatile oil prices can be counterbalanced by effective use of information systems. Others reckoned the solution lies in automation and standardization of processes, and local — or at least regional — sourcing.”
