Articles
Green Logistics
Using SmartWay Data to Inform Transportation Purchasing Decisions
In 2014, SmartWay will celebrate 10 years of providing the transportation industry with tools to measure, benchmark, and take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel efficiency. Partnering with groups such as SmartWay allows shippers and third-party logistics (3PL) providers to equip themselves with actionable data and, in turn, use that information to […]
Read MoreCreating a Greener Warehouse
Reducing warehouse energy and water consumption ultimately helps companies improve their bottom line and bring value to customers. Tim Barrett, COO, and Arthur Barrett, president of Massachusetts-based Barrett Distribution offer their tips for creating a greener warehouse. 1. Reduce energy waste. Implement strict rules for truck idling time in parking lots and at loading docks. […]
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10 Trends Driving Greener Supply Chains
Many businesses today are seeking smart ways to reduce supply chain waste and carbon impact. Over the next several years, the following trends could transform logistics operations, particularly in emerging markets. 1. Creative, collaborative planning. Logistics providers and shippers can find simple ways to better manage schedule requirements, such as building slow-steaming into overseas shipment […]
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Natural Gas For Long-Haul Trucking: Working Together to Get It Right
Q: The trucking industry is poised to increase its use of natural gas for heavy-duty, long-haul freight. Is this a good idea? A: Natural gas sounds like a dream proposition. It’s cheap, domestic, and, when it burns, it emits a quarter of the carbon dioxide (CO2) of diesel fuel—and few other pollutants. So it potentially […]
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Getting Green, Going Lean
Creating a viable and sustainable green strategy can be a challenge for companies that want to be good corporate citizens, but also remain competitive. If customers are focused on price, how conscious is your green conscience when you need to drive out costs—at all costs? It’s a valid question in today’s economy as companies deliberate […]
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Green Logistics The Walmart Way
Why sustainability best practices are part of the retailer’s supply chain DNA.
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G75: 75 Green Supply Chain Partners 2013
The supply chain has been on the greening edge of innovation by nature of the business. Doing more with less to reduce waste in time, material, and cost is inherently green. Although it can be difficult to determine green ROI, many companies, industries, and governments have made great strides pushing the sustainability envelope in regulations, […]
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Going Green to Save Green
Can reducing environmental impact generate significant financial rewards? For Caterpillar, the proof is in the profits.
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Jason Mathers: Carbon Slasher
Jason Mathers is senior manager, corporate partnerships at the Boston office of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), an environmental advocacy group. He has held this position since 2006. Responsibilities: Leading partnerships with Fortune 1000 companies to reduce carbon emissions in freight transportation while also reducing freight costs. Experience: U.S. Navy, USS Normandy, operations specialist, petty […]
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CNG as a Transportation Fuel: A Fuel Manager’s Perspective
Since 2009, natural gas prices have followed a decidedly different path than gasoline and diesel prices. Natural gas prices have dropped 43 percent, while gasoline and diesel prices increased by more than 200 percent. These divergent price trends have created an opportunity to use compressed natural gas (CNG) as a transportation fuel. Based on the […]
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Trends—February 2013
Green: The United Color of Benetton Sustainability has gained fashion appeal over the past few years. But apparel companies are growing even more sensitive to social responsibility, especially as it relates to materials procurement and use in the supply chain. Benetton Group is the latest apparel brand to join Greenpeace’s Detox Program, launched in 2011 […]
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Wasting Away to Meet Sustainability Goals
An average distribution center generates or handles anywhere from 100 to 1,000 tons of solid waste each year—or approximately 30 pounds per square foot—that could be reduced, reused, or recycled. Typical distribution center waste streams include corrugated cardboard, office and breakroom waste, plastic strapping, pallets, paper, batteries, yard waste, accumulated scrap such as defective or […]
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4 Steps to Reducing Emissions in the Supply Chain
Businesses around the world have increased efforts to manage and reduce their carbon footprint. These companies also realize that carbon management in the supply chain is an essential capability—the next great step in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. By collaboratively engaging with their supplier networks, companies can mitigate GHG emissions and improve supplier relationships, while […]
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How to Measure Sustainability Program Performance
For many companies, sustainability has become a burning platform for exploring smarter ways to move product through the supply chain. Sustainability principles dovetail with transportation and logistics best practices to rationalize natural resource and raw material consumption, and ultimately reduce operating expenses. In addition to the economics of eliminating environmental waste, an element of risk […]
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Reusable Shipping Dunnage Protects Sustainability Efforts
Containers and packaging account for 30 percent of all U.S. municipal solid waste, according to a 2009 EPA study. Small wonder, considering the contribution of millions of tons of disposable corrugated and wood filler used to protect products in transit across America every day. By road and rail, goods move about in the temporary company […]
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Don’t Be Afraid Of Product Lifecycle Assessment
Sustainability, carbon footprint, and lifecycle assessment (LCA) are becoming common discussion topics in the boardroom. These terms often generate fear as well as discussion, as executives worry about how their company will stack up against competitors, how much an environmental impact analysis will cost, and whether the measurements will be accurate. The benefit of analyzing […]
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Green Leadership for Lean Times
Current economic conditions are cooling enthusiasm for green initiatives in some quarters. But not in Bentonville, Ark., where Walmart recently released its 2012 Global Responsibility report. Someone once said, "as Walmart goes, so goes the nation." I don’t know if that’s true, but despite lean times, the retailer is providing leadership in supply chain sustainability. […]
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CNG Fuels Trucking Sustainability Efforts
Nearly 55 percent of U.S. executives report their organization now has a formal sustainability strategy in place, according to a KPMG International corporate sustainability study. One development gaining momentum in the trucking industry is investing in vehicles that run on alternative fuels. Companies are exploring a variety of options, including electricity, ethanol, biodiesel, liquefied natural […]
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Green is Still White Hot
While freight costs and capacity dominate water cooler conversations, sustainability embers smolder deep within the supply chain. The fire is still perceptible. So are the justifications.
Read MoreAchieving LEED Certification
Many manufacturing and distribution facility owners consider the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification the ultimate sustainability prize. Thomas Taylor, general manager for St. Louis-based sustainability consultant firm Vertegy, offers tips for earning LEED certification. 1. In warm-climate regions, install a white roof. A white or light-colored roof may […]
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