Sustainable Logistics And Ecommerce

by: Constantin Wollenhaupt

Published on: October 1, 2014

These days, sustainability is getting more and more important to consider in many aspects of your business. Especially in terms of logistics we can do a lot to protect our planet by thinking about using our resources efficiently.

Ecommerce and logistics are inseparable. What is purchased online must be shipped via road, rail, water and air routes. For the increase of traffic is not only the logistics industry responsible, but the online store or the home shopping channel. This determines not only in terms of comfort for the customer and the reliability (and the price). The client also decides on the more or less environmentally friendly shipping of the goods.

Of course, shopping is already connected with logistical challenges as well as storage for example. All details that play a role can not be enumerated here. But the online shop owners do certainly have a clue that logistics and sustainability is a science. Important for people in ecommerce, however, is that they gain a sensitivity to their responsibility that goes far beyond the product and the company’s own office.

What is sustainable logistics?

Sustainable logistics is not only about CO2 savings. Sustainability extends naturally also on social and societal concerns. Constantin Wollenhaupt, responsible for sustainable marketing in the network of the aCommerce Team, points out that CO2 neutral shipping must additionally operate down to the sub-sub-sub-suppliers working conditions. Ultimately the online store owner is responsible for these working conditions.

“In the case of a scandal of a freight forwarding company the public looks on their client (the online shop owner). And even more directly a scandal hits the online shop owners (for e.g. a strike of the logistics company´s employers), because the goods are not delivered reliably. ” says the aCommerce Team Board Stephan Grad.

Freightage savings before can quickly get expensive for online shop owners in this case and jeopardize their own company.

Many measures and one target

Lighthouse projects are mainly from the major logistics companies of the Deutsche Post and Österreichische Post, as well as larger companies. Also logistics organizations have already recognized these issues. More and more enterprises pay attention to the sustainable logistics, because it is (partly caused by law) a catchment in annual reports.

Who pays attention to sustainable logistics?

It is important not only for logistics, but also for online shop owners in the future, to care about sustainable logistics. Customers, media, politicians, environmental or social activists, government agencies, residents, employees, investors, bank managers and more: They are all stakeholders and they are aware of sustainable facts in ecommerce.

Ecommerce tips:

Do not miss the first Anton eCommerce Award ceremony , powered by MasterCard, on 23 October 2014 in the „Tiroler Bergstation“, 1010 Vienna. More information and registration here.

The aCommerce Team was established in May 2013 by Raphael Tannheimer and Stephan Grad as an independent network for eCommerce decision makers to develop and improve the quality in the Austrian eCommerce. The network provides experiential exchange and is a networking base. More at www.acommerce-team.at.

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