5 Ways You Can Reduce Your Carbon Footprint With Green Logistics

Have you ever wondered how much carbon footprint is behind every order delivered to your doorstep? With increased stress on ultra-fast deliveries, the logistics sector is generating a large number of greenhouse gases. Globally, logistics accounts for 40% of the total transport CO2 emissions.

In India, the situation is quite concerning, as the logistics sector is largely unorganized. Informal players prioritize cost-cutting with older vehicles or cheap fuels, even if it harms the environment.

This is why more and more e-commerce businesses are choosing 3PL partners who are focused on green logistics. The idea is not new, but adopting sustainable shipping practices is quite difficult in a country like India. At Blowhorn, we keep sustainability at the core of everything we do in logistics. With 7 years of industry expertise, we have identified five key strategies you can follow to reduce your carbon footprint in logistics.

1. Keep your customers close to micro-warehouses

In India, last-mile delivery accounts for 1.2 Gigatons of harmful carbon emissions. If your inventory is in a warehouse far away from the city, the last-mile deliveries will generate more carbon footprint. Instead, opt for micro-warehouses located at prime locations within a city. These are closer to your customers and help reduce last-mile emissions by loads.

With a vast network of micro-warehouses across India, we at Blowhorn have devised a more eco-friendly way to deliver to our customers in less than 24 hours.

2. Use technology to avoid wasted trips

When it comes to logistics, harnessing the power of technology can save you a lot of time, energy, and money. At the same time, it will bring down the environmental impact caused by your vehicles.

With end-to-end visibility to your customers, your drivers can avoid wasted trips due to unplanned delivery times. Real-time tracking of orders will help the customers plan their availability accordingly.

3.Optimize route planning

Just like real-time tracking, good route optimization software can also be a major ally in green logistics. It can help drivers to find the best routes ahead of time and reach their destination faster. This, in turn, will also help in bringing down your delivery times and improve the efficiency of your fleet.

In advanced logistics, IoT and AI are also used for route optimization. These provide further insights like optimal speed and fuel consumption to cut down carbon emissions.

4. Opt for clean energy vehicles

There are more eco-friendly ways to get from point A to point B than you can imagine. Choose a vehicle where sustainability meets efficiency. For instance, electric trucks can drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions in first-mile logistics. Similarly, e-scooters, battery-powered bikes, or CNG rickshaws can make your last-mile deliveries greener, while not compromising on delivery SLAs.

Today, 25% of Blowhorn’s pan-India fleet operates on clean energy. We are constantly working on algorithms to optimize our routes and put less pressure on the roads. We are committed to only growing these numbers as more and more customers are looking at sustainable ways to conduct their business.

5. Greener supply chain practices

Many B2C and B2B companies are now setting examples with environment-friendly purchases and procurement from suppliers. You can choose a supplier who is located closer to your company. You can also demand eco-friendly packaging with limited use of plastic.

On the other hand, while delivering to your customers, opt for non-plastic packaging materials like paper, cardboard, or fabric. You can also invest in novel options like recycled paper or recycled plastic. Though a bit expensive, these can help in building brand goodwill over time.

Clean and lean logistics

At Blowhorn, we strive to follow the policy of “clean and lean logistics'' to the best of our ability. Having spent a significant number of years with the shipping and logistics global giant Maersk and now having worked with thousands of Blowhorn customers for over 7 years, our CEO Mithun Srivatsa strongly believes that sustainability is the future in logistics.

After operating thousands of clean energy vehicles every day, we have seen the genuine impact it has made on the environment. We see that these can significantly reduce the cost of maintenance and operations, while also saving the environment. Speaking on Blowhorn’s EV strategy, Mithun Srivatsa adds, “Right now, 25% of our vehicles run on electricity or clean fuels. We plan to have 100% of our fleet on electric vehicles by 2025.”

On World Earth Day 2022, Blowhorn pledges to make this world a cleaner, greener, and safer place, one EV at a time.

5 Ways You Can Reduce Your Carbon Footprint With Green Logistics

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