Save with sustainable materials handling, warehousing and logistics
Environmental sustainability is largely about reducing consumption – and often that saves money. Follow our advice to benefit your materials handling business as well as the planet.
Why run your logistics operations sustainably?
- It’s good for the environment and for people
- It can lower your bills for electricity, fuel, components, packaging and other consumables
- It futureproofs your business against increasingly strict environmental legislation
- It looks good to your customers
Sustainable advice for businesses using forklifts
In the spirit of sustainability, we’ve recycled information from a wealth of guidance already published by Cat® Lift Trucks. Our summary below highlights the main issues and gives links to previous articles for more detailed advice.
What is environmental sustainability?
Environmental sustainability means using our planet’s resources carefully:
- To ensure they don’t run out
- To avoid damaging the environment so much that we destroy people’s future quality of life
We need to conserve the earth’s reserves of fuel, water and raw materials. We must also control pollution and protect nature from destruction.
Carbon emissions from the logistics industry
One of the key sustainability issues for our industry, and for society globally, is carbon emissions. Greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, are accumulating in the upper atmosphere. This results in rising global temperatures and climate change. Much of that pollution comes from burning fossil fuels.
Fuels are burned, for instance, to power forklift trucks, goods vehicles and warehouse heating systems. Fuel combustion also powers many manufacturing processes in the production of, for example, forklifts and their component parts. Carbon emissions and natural resource consumption similarly result from the manufacture of packaging for the logistics sector.
A climate change guide for materials handling professionals
Are you a little confused by terms like carbon footprint, carbon neutral, net-zero, carbon offsetting and carbon credits? You’ll find them explained simply in our carbon Q&A guide. We also have some advice on using online tools to calculate your company’s carbon footprint.
Reduce, reuse and recycle in the warehouse and beyond
Reduction, reuse and recycling are fundamental principles of acting sustainably. Importantly, we should apply them in that order. First, try to reduce your consumption. Use energy and fuel more efficiently. Find ways of operating with smaller quantities of materials, products and equipment. The less you consume, the less you will deplete the earth’s resources – and the less carbon will be emitted in manufacturing to meet your demands.
Reusing materials, products and equipment also lowers the need for fresh consumption and manufacture. Keep them going for as long as you possibly can before buying replacements. Recycling has a higher environmental cost than reduction or reuse. However, it does save on material and energy consumption compared to manufacturing from scratch.
Lower your warehouse, forklift and transport energy consumption
Let’s start in the warehouse. Our article on sustainable warehousing solutions introduces the key sustainability topics concerned with warehouse construction and operation. We build on this in a subsequent article on warehouse energy use.
HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), lighting and IT are major consumers of energy. We look at greener sources of power for them, including capture and storage of solar or wind energy. The need for effective insulation is also stressed. Further money-saving tips are given in our summary of energy use by warehouses and materials handling equipment.
In our guidance on sustainable warehouse heating, we highlight energy-efficient approaches and systems. Maintaining the right temperature optimises the condition of workers, materials handling equipment and facilities.
Can you power your warehouse and its operations using solar panels on your roof? Our guide sets out the points to consider in deciding whether this energy source is right for you.
In our advice on warehouse lighting, we explore the potential of more efficient and effective systems. In addition to their cost-saving and environmental benefits, they promise you a happier and healthier workforce and better productivity.
You can save on forklift fuel or electricity consumption by encouraging good driving habits. A less heavy-footed driver also reduces component wear. Meanwhile, proper maintenance of forklifts maintains their efficiency and extends their service life. Today, you can monitor driver performance, lift truck condition, and more, using the technology of telematics.
Your choice of forklift truck has a substantial effect on your energy costs and carbon emissions. See our guide to choosing environmentally friendly forklifts. In most but not all cases, battery-powered forklifts will be the greenest choice. The many advantages of electric forklifts are summarised in our online guide. Zero tailpipe emissions, higher energy efficiency, longer life and lower part replacement needs are the main environmental benefits. Whatever forklift you choose, you will need to replace items like batteries and tyres periodically. Don’t be tempted by cheap ones, which will have shorter lives and lower energy efficiency.
Lastly in this section, let’s look at energy efficiency in transporting goods. See our sustainable freight operations article. Through technological aids to route and shipment planning, we can minimise the number of lorries on the road at any time. We also emphasise energy-efficient driving techniques and maintenance of vehicle condition.
The Last Mile is a particular focus for efforts to minimise carbon footprint, material waste and congestion. Green technologies and cooperation between logistics providers are essential to improvements here.
Another vital aspect of increasing transport efficiency is reducing wasted space in packages and vehicles. We look at ways of adjusting box size for a better fit, and optimally packing them into load spaces. This allows carriage of more parcels per vehicle, for fewer delivery trips, while reducing consumption of packaging materials.
Waste less and recycle more – throughout the supply chain
Pallets, containers and packaging materials are amongst the most obvious consumables in the logistics business. We should try to reuse them as many times as possible. Reduction in the amount of packaging used is an important aim. Then, when any item reaches the end of its useful life, it must be recycled. Wherever possible, you should buy recycled goods and materials to close the recycling loop. Remanufactured forklift parts are an option, as long their quality is assured by the truck’s manufacturer.
In our report on reducing waste in logistics, we focus mainly on advances in recycling of plastics. We explore the topic of waste management logistics further in a later article. Our advice on sustainable logistics packaging looks at containing and protecting goods during storage, handling and transport. Solutions include green boxes, crates and cushioning materials. It’s worth mentioning that we should try to avoid shipping air!
Ultimately, your lift trucks themselves will reach the end of their service life. Our advice on forklift recycling includes an interesting case study. Finnish Cat® lift truck distributor Logisnext Finland maximises the sustainable use and lifespan of forklifts through digitally based truck management. Its relationship with a specialist recycling company then ensures that no truck material is wasted.
We also report on battery recycling. Advances are being made to deal with growing numbers of Li-ion as well as lead-acid batteries.
Protect your factory, warehouse or logistics business from climate change effects
As well as contributing to global sustainability, it makes sense to protect your business from climate change effects. These are already happening today. Think, for example, of the impacts of the increasingly frequent extreme weather events, like storms, floods, heatwaves and droughts.
Our article on this subject aims to help you in being better prepared. In addition to the nine threats it covers, we could now include a tenth: wildfires. Depending on the nature of the landscape around your buildings, you may need to create clear buffer zones as fire breaks. As well as removing combustible items from that area, you could consider using fireproof construction materials.
Following our advice should bring you benefits such as:
- Better preparation for floods and power cuts
- Increased uptime
- Happier and more productive employees, whatever the weather
- Reliable water supply
- Lower electricity and water bills
- Higher efficiency and flexibility in your business and its supply chain
- A more attractive image to customers
For further practical guidance on a wide range of topics relevant to materials handling, warehousing and logistics:
