greenlogistics
BY JAMES A. COOKE, EDITOR AT LARGE
GREEN BEST PRACTICES
into the
g reen
With their sprawling, energy-sucking DCs and carbon-spewing trucks,
logistics/distribution operations may seem the very antithesis of green.
But our exclusive reader survey tells a different story.
THEY MAY NOT BE SETTING UP WIND FARMS
or investing millions in hydrogen fuel cells, but
make no mistake: DCV’s readers are going
green. In a recent survey, nearly three-quarters of the respondents reported that their
companies had embarked on programs to
make their transportation or distribution
operations more eco-friendly. These ventures covered the gamut from water conservation efforts to initiatives aimed at reducing landfill waste to policies promoting the
use of environmentally conscious truckers.
Those were some of the findings of our
recent survey on sustainability initiatives. In
total, 190 readers completed the online questionnaire. The respondents came from a cross
section of industries, with the largest share working in wholesale distribution ( 19 percent), transportation and logistics ( 14 percent), or retail ( 10 percent).
Seventy-three percent of the respondents told us their companies
had undertaken some sort of environmental initiative, and nearly half— 48
percent—said their companies had a formal sustainability plan in place.
As for where they’re concentrating their efforts, the majority of the survey respondents said they had targeted their distribution center operations. Of those companies
that have green programs under way, 64 percent said they had put warehouse-based
sustainability programs in place. Other common areas of focus were packaging operations ( 37 percent), transportation operations ( 34 percent), and the overall supply chain
network ( 26 percent). Last on the list were manufacturing operations ( 24 percent) and
reverse logistics ( 14 percent). (Survey takers were allowed to select multiple responses.)
Tried and true
When it comes to specific green initiatives, the survey respondents appeared to favor time-test-ed strategies over experimental or venturesome pursuits. For example, when asked what steps they
had taken to green up their DC operations, 55 percent of the respondents whose companies were pursuing
green initiatives said they were working to reduce the volume of waste sent to landfills. Next on the list was the
use of recyclable material and packaging ( 52 percent), followed by retrofitting the building for energy efficien-
