We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • ::COVID-19 COVERAGE::
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
Home » Sustainability begins, but doesn't end, at home
big picture

Sustainability begins, but doesn't end, at home

September 9, 2013
Peter Bradley
No Comments

We have two stories in our September issue that touch on the issue of business sustainability.

Susan Lacefield, a staff writer for DC Velocity, takes a look at reusable packaging and offers guidelines on what to consider in deciding whether to incorporate reusable packaging in a distribution environment. In her article, she discusses the benefits and potential drawbacks of doing so, and outlines steps to take to ensure a program is sucessful.

She points out, among other things, that reusable packaging is not necessarily more green than, say, recyclable corrugated. Buyers of reusable containers have to consider the full lifecycle of those products—where they come from and what happens to them when it's time to replace them. From a strictly environmental perspective, reusable containers can make sense for many, but by no means all, distribution operations. The calculation is not as simple as it might seem at first.

In the second story, Senior Editor Toby Gooley offers up an incisive and detailed look at the coming Tier 4 final emissions restrictions and what they will mean for makers of diesel forklifts and their customers. The short answer is that those forklifts are going to get more expensive but produce far fewer toxic emissions than their predecessors.

I see this as a sustainability story for a couple of reasons. The first is clear enough: Cleaner-burning engines mean less air pollution. Once again, that's a fit with corporate initiatives to reduce carbon footprints. But it touches on another aspect of sustainability as well—worker health. Any comprehensive sustainability initiative must include human resource issues, and cutting workplace pollution is certainly pertinent to employees' health and well-being.

In fact, many of the sustainability programs undertaken to reduce energy use also enhance worker health, safety, and job satisfaction. Better lighting can reduce energy costs while improving the work environment. Better climate control leads to more comfortable—and productive—work environments.

Sustainability coverage tends to focus on projects that do things like reduce energy use. But from a broader perspective, sustainability is about creating business practices that can help a company, its owners, its managers, its workers, and its customers and suppliers thrive over the long run. "Green" initiatives are certainly a big part of that. So is creating safe workplaces. The deadly toll taken by the recent factory fire in Bangladesh provides grievous testimony to just how devastating ignoring workplace safety can be. Truly sustainable business practices require getting it right inside the walls of the factory or DC here at home—and doing business with only those who do the same.

Green Logistics
  • Related Articles

    Taking the long view of sustainability

    Packaging sustainability

    Going green one DC at a time

Peterbradley
Peter Bradley is an award-winning career journalist with more than three decades of experience in both newspapers and national business magazines. His credentials include seven years as the transportation and supply chain editor at Purchasing Magazine and six years as the chief editor of Logistics Management.

Recent Articles by Peter Bradley

From temp to management: interview with Diane Garforth

Watching over intermodal's interests: interview with Joni Casey

Building resilience into the supply chain: interview with Yossi Sheffi

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Cold chain giant Lineage Logistics buys its own rail operator

  • Biden names dozens of senior leaders to DOT, including FMCSA and FRA

  • Outlook 2021: What’s in store for logistics supply chain?

  • Cushman & Wakefield Brokers Sale of 170 Acres plus Lease for 1MSF Build-to-Suit for Home Improvement Retailer in Commerce City, CO.

  • Thriving in the long haul: interview with Colin Yankee

Now Playing on DCV-TV

Sick agv demo thumbnail

Optimize Load Handling Tasks with Industrial Mobile Robots

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
Intelligent sensors detect the presence of goods, check for empty shelves, or the correct alignment on the mobile platform towards the freight. The solutions range from simple detection sensors, thorough measuring devices, and 2D LiDAR sensors.

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • Proven Benefits: A Compendium of Slotting Optimization Success Snapshots

  • Bridging Information Gaps in Dock and Yard Operations

  • How Intelligent Sensor Solutions Turn Data Into Action

  • Order picking Solutions: Understanding Your Options

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2021. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing