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On Mother Earth Day, supply chain matters

On Mother Earth Day 2022, learn how smart logistics can pave the way for sustainability to benefit consumers, companies, and products—and the Earth itself.

Pierre Roustan Pierre Roustan

Mother Earth Day is here and not a moment too soon. Analysis shows we’re facing a record level of global carbon emissions that has not seen since before the pandemic. 

During the pandemic industries from health to retail and manufacturing ultimately suffered due to lockdowns. Logistics followed as deliveries dropped, and drivers went into quarantine. People drove less. Emissions dropped by more than 5%.

But it didn’t last. The same industries struggled to catch up with customer demand as Covid-19 case numbers began to dwindle and restrictions eased globally. A surge in good moving again saw fossil fuel demand skyrocket, and with it emissions. Emissions soared by the second-largest increase in history – 1.5 billion tons last year. And that’s not all: the IEA’s Global Energy Review 2021 states CO2 emissions will exponentially grow further this year in 2022 – by 5%. The final tally? That’s 33 billion tons.

Sustainability ecosystem

This is yet more proof that sustainability is a must. The planet cannot rely on pandemics to reduce carbon emissions, and there is no obvious immediate frontline solution. The good news is that there is a solution that can help attack the problem at its core.

It begins with making the supply chain more resilient to the effects of a pandemic or other black swan event that forces drastic drops and then disastrous rises in fossil fuel consumption and emissions. Smart logistics paves the way for sustainability that not only benefits consumers, companies, and products, but also the Earth itself.

What if logistics partners, suppliers and customers all had real-time views of in-bound supplies and out-bound product deliveries? If they can get a complete picture across supply chain processes, their managers can begin to develop operational initiatives that deliver fuel efficiencies and cost savings while protecting and accelerating revenues.

Process transformation, IoT and integration are at the forefront of this, allowing organizations an unprecedented ability to forecast and replenish with increased accuracy even as an entire global environment dramatically shifts.

Predictive analytics and machine learning allow for recognizing patterns to anticipate the changes that matter and prepare for potential disaster. And, of course, it keeps carbon emissions at a minimum!

Automated warehousing, cargo tracking, remote fleet management and more would tap into the cloud for real-time asset tracking, and IoT sensors alert you at the slightest sign of supply chain disruption. The benefits? Increased visibility, responsiveness, and resiliency across an entire supply chain ecosystem – even during a pandemic. Fuel consumption and the concomitant lowering of emissions would be the most critical components to saving money and the Earth.

That’s what digital transformation is all about. Long-term and painless changes can ensure a much happier Earth, more resilient supply chains, better businesses, and more joyful customers.

So, on Mother Earth Day 2022, why not see what you can do to make your supply chain more sustainable? Click below.