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Sustainability

In this section of our blog you will find all the articles related to sustainability and environmental impact applied to logistics.

Is sustainable packaging suitable for industrial sectors?

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Mujer joven trabajando en un almacén y encintando una caja de cartón para su envío. packaging sostenible

One of the rising trends in recent years is the use of sustainable packaging in consumer sectors such as e-commerce and the Horeca channel. This is because new generations of consumers are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of packaging and are willing to support brands and companies that show such commitment to the planet.

However, how is this trend affected in the B2B and industrial sectors? Is it necessary to make many changes in operations to adapt to a different packaging than the traditional one?

If you want to know the key points of sustainable packaging within the B2B industry, take a look!

Overpacking or underpacking of products

When product or e-commerce distribution routes are not well defined, there is a risk of over-packing or under-packing orders. On the one hand, you are not promoting sustainability, wasting more material than necessary and, on the other hand, you would be leaving items too unprotected with the risk of being damaged.

However, there are products that must comply with current regulations that require overpacking, such as dangerous goods. For this reason, in operations involving packaging, picking and route planning, it is advisable to apply new measures to use the required amount of material, paying attention to the routes planned by a route optimizer.

One example that helps to avoid overpacking is cardboard boxes of various heights with adjustable volume to optimize space and material used.

Sustainable materials

It is already known that cardboard boxes are one of the most popular options for packaging orders, especially in e-commerce, in addition to the fact that this type of material is recyclable. But, within the more industrial sectors, what options are there to replace, for example, the plastic boxes in which food is loaded?

To this end, recyclable plastics made from recycled plastic or vegetable biomass have been developed with efficient designs that are resistant, light and space efficient. In addition, the Waste and Contaminated Soil Law has been updated to promote the circularity of materials.

póster isométrico de la línea de producción de la fábrica automatizada. packaging sostenible

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How to plan the management of light electric vehicles?

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Hombre de entrega montando bicicleta con paquete - gestión de vehículos ligeros eléctricos foto

When people often talk about a fleet of vehicles, their most familiar image is usually that of trucks, trailers and even vans, given their relevance in the logistics industry. However, we should not forget the latest protagonists in terms of alternative vehicles to the usual ones: motorcycles and bicycles.

More and more companies have already implemented electric light vehicle management, promoting sustainability and last mile capillarity. However, how can you have control over a fleet of motorcycles and bicycles? Does it differ much from a conventional fleet of trucks and vans?

If you are curious about the following points to keep in mind when controlling a fleet of light vehicles, take a look!

Define a fleet management strategy

Like any logistics fleet, such a fleet requires a good strategy in its respective document in order to be in line with the needs and other business strategies. In particular, if one takes into account objectives such as the sustainability of the activities for which an electric light vehicle management can grant.

It should be noted that a fleet strategy must be connected to the fleet policy, which establishes everything that can be covered by the strategy, both its objectives and the rules to be followed by both the personnel involved and the drivers. Consequently, it is essential that all the organization involved in the fleet participates in the realization of the strategy so that the strategy is defined in a realistic and well realized way.

Automate routine tasks

Fleet management (and, for that matter, electric light vehicle management) is known to have very tedious tasks and optimizing time and cost savings is paramount to improving the efficiency of the process. These include paperwork, MOT, fines, regulatory compliance and supplier cost invoices, and so on.

Therefore, the automation of manual processes is an almost essential step because of the numerous benefits it provides. Among its advantages are reducing the number of unnecessary tasks, going paperless, creating the possibility of analyzing data collected from operations and improving the use of human resources.

Mensajero profesional que entrega el pedido en la ilustración plana de scooter - gestión de vehículos ligeros eléctricos vector

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Are urban hubs the solution to last mile challenges?

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With the increasing number of constraints within large cities and greater commitment to the environment, ways are being sought to circumvent these difficult challenges. Among several proposals to remain efficient in the last mile, urban hubs stand out.

Urban hubs are not much of a mystery, as they are small warehouses located in the centers of large cities. With this, they are expected to reduce route distances and also increase the capillarity of the last mile. If you want to know more about their other advantages, take a look!

Taking advantage of underutilized premises

One of the most prevalent problems in cities with respect to urban distribution is the increase in underutilized space that is unlikely to be re-let. Given the innovative nature of being an urban hub, re-using such spaces has many advantages.

However, for urban hubs to perform their function properly, they have to be located in strategic points of the city. Moreover, this may not be easy, as they require the rental of space in the center, which is a fairly high cost that not all companies in the sector can afford.

Helping to reduce carbon emissions

Undoubtedly, this is one of the main reasons why this initiative has started to be used in large cities. Reducing the miles needed to meet last-mile demand goes a long way toward reducing CO₂ emissions.

However, there are extra steps that need to be taken for pollution minimization to be effective. For example, the use of zero-emission vehicles such as electric vehicles and the approach of making deliveries at night in order to reduce traffic congestion are being considered. Apart from the use of a route optimizer to save time and money.

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5 aspects to promote Competitive Sustainability

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Camiones eléctricos concepto abstracto ilustración vectorial. sostenibilidad-competitiva-1

Many companies in all types of sectors are already committing to more sustainable actions in their activities. However, it is not enough to want to be more environmentally friendly; we must also strive for competitive sustainability. In other words, actions and initiatives must be sufficiently competent and attractive for companies to start applying them.

This issue is very relevant for the logistics and transportation sector due to its relatively high environmental impact and the increase of vehicle restrictions in cities. Here are some competitive sustainability initiatives to make a difference:

Urban warehouses

If transportation costs are higher, the longer the distance to be traveled, the greater the outlay the company will have to make. One of the most effective solutions to this problem is urban warehousing. What is different from a conventional warehouse is that urban warehouses are located in or around large cities in order to be close to demand.

Notably, they have been a growing trend in the e-commerce sector and in any industry that requires last-mile delivery. While it is true that reducing distance reduces emissions, the supply chain would not be efficient if warehouse operations are not efficient either. Therefore, a picking optimizer can help streamline your urban warehouse.

Unify shipments

Tal y como se mencionó en el webinar de movilidad sostenible, no es ecológico comprar de 4 e-commerces distintos y que el envío lo efectúen 3 empresas de transporte diferentes para que lleguen a tu dirección a una hora similar. Por lo tanto, algunas empresas, sobre todo las grandes, han considerado otorgar la posibilidad de unificar los envíos.

That means that several shipping companies would have to agree on who does the shipping or give the consumer the option to choose the company itself. Such actions are currently very difficult for SMEs to carry out, unlike large companies such as Amazon, which already provide this possibility of applying competitive sustainability.

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4 Smart City initiatives that drive sustainable mobility

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Ilustración vectorial del concepto de mensajero autónomo. movilidad sostenible Smart City

Currently, one of the issues we are most aware of and concerned about is global warming and measures to reduce its impact. Whether it is minimizing carbon emissions, eliminating plastic and opting for renewable energies, and among them is to achieve sustainable mobility.

One of the most important initiatives is to promote smart cities in cities. It consists of managing all the usual things that are taken into account in a city but adding the plus of sustainability.

Here are some examples of how to promote sustainable mobility applied to logistics:

Electric vehicles

Given the increasing traffic restrictions on distribution vehicles in terms of number allowed, length, capacity, vehicle model, level of congestion and other aspects, it is becoming increasingly common for companies to renew their vehicle fleet to pursue an ideal level of sustainable mobility.

Among the most notable changes are electric or hybrid trucks that significantly reduce CO₂ emissions and minimize noise pollution.

Some last mile companies have also opted for more unusual vehicles such as scooters and electric bicycles because of their ability to access difficult urban areas that even a van could not enter, thus considerably reducing the impact of the carbon footprint.

DUM monitoring and optimization

Given the increasing difficulties faced by last-mile distribution (LMP) due to the growth of large cities, the increase in traffic restrictions and the great momentum of e-commerce, solutions to these problems are becoming increasingly complex.

Among the initiatives to reduce these inconveniences, deliveries are made during off-peak hours to avoid congestion.

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7 Companies that perform sustainable logistics

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Logística Sostenible-pexels-akil-mazumder

En España el transporte es el responsable directo del 27% del total de las emisiones según datos del Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico (Fuente: MITECO, 2020). Es por eso que cada vez son más las empresas que se comprometen a reducir las emisiones de CO2 en sus actividades logísticas y acelerar … Read more

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Hedyla is a software company dedicated to optimize logistic processes of medium and large-sized companies through Artificial Intelligence.

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Hedyla Technologies S.L. ha sido beneficiaria de un Proyecto subvencionado por el CDTI con la colaboración del Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. Número de expediente SNEO-20201090
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