Logistics
The obvious benefits of a streamlined transportation and logistic operation are
financial. Changes can encompass inbound delivery of raw materials and the distribution
of finished products to market. Transport within your operation, as well as across
international boundaries can be cut.
There are several ways to tackle your logistic operation:
- Transport planning. With traffic congestion becoming more of an issue, many companies are structuring their deliveries to avoid peak hour traffic. Increased transport planning can identify the most efficient routes, avoid congestion areas and minimise the number of trips. Saving both fuel and time.
- Reviewing your transportation fleet. This ensures you are using the most efficient vehicle for the load it carries. Some firms are choosing smaller and even hybrid cars (e.g. Vodafone NZ) for their company cars.
- Driver training on fuel efficient driving. This has saved businesses up to 20% on their fuel bill.
- Regular vehicle maintenance, including regular checking of tyre pressure.
- Purchasing diesel from companies that provide a low sulphur product.
- Offset the carbon from your vehicles through tree planting. Tree planting is recognised internationally as a practical short-term solution to offsetting carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. By sponsoring the planting of native trees, you can help to reduce greenhouse gases and the effects of climate change, control erosion and support New Zealand's biodiversity.
Below there’s more information on developing sustainable transportation.
Case studies
Griffins: Sustainable logistics
Griffins are combining two products in their freighting - bottles and chips - to miminise their transportation costs. Griffins Foods manufactures high volume, low weight products such as potato chips and biscuits, thus making warehousing and transportation of the product a costly exercise. The company subcontracts its warehousing operations to Toll Logistics, and, together with other manufacturers who share the warehouse facility (Kelloggs and Carter Holt Harvey,) has worked with Toll to maximise warehouse utilisation and optimise transportation loading through projects such as standardising carton configurations, identifying optimum pallet heights etc. Griffins also works closely with its principal transport provider - Provincial Freightlines to optimise drop sequences and delivery cycles. There are also plans to further enhance IT capabilities in the area of Transportation Management to enable improved transport efficiencies, thus reducing the impact on the environment as well as cutting costs.
Tyre Track (Motor Trade Association)
Tyre Track is an example of the Ministry for the Environment working with industry to come up with a creative, voluntary solution to deal with a growing environmental problem. Millions of old and unwanted tyres are disposed of every year. Some are dumped illegally in unsightly piles creating fire hazards, while landfills are increasingly banning disposal of whole tyres. Tyre Track is a national tyre tracking system that links tyre dealers with registered transporters which deliver old tyres to an environmentally sound end. Started in July 2004, Tyre Track is managed by the Motor Trade Association (MTA) with Ministry support.
Vodafone NZ recycles mobile phones (Vodafone)
Vodafone NZ uses reverse logistics by facilitating the collection of mobile phones for recycling.
Organisations
Travel Planning (Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority)
Travel planning is an innovative form of travel demand management that EECA is promoting in partnership with local and regional authorities. It aims to help improve energy efficiency and conservation in the transport sector and reduce the demand on our road networks.
Other resources
Fleet Check (Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority)
This scheme also allows for companies with more than 50 vehicles to undertake a fleetcheck, an audit of your company's fleet and fleet management processes.
Ministry of Transport environment page - Air (Ministry of Transport)
Information from the Ministry of Transport on transport and the environment.
Ministry of Transport environment page - Land (Ministry of Transport)
Information from the Ministry of Transport on transport and the environment.
Ministry of Transport environment page - Rail (Ministry of Transport)
Information from the Ministry of Transport on transport and the environment.
Ministry of Transport environment page - Sea (Ministry of Transport)
Information from the Ministry of Transport on transport and the environment.
Websites
Environmental Effects of Transport in NZ (Ministry for the Environment)
The Ministry for the Environment outlines how transport generates a number of adverse environmental effects from both transport infrastructure and vehicles.
Fuel$aver (Ministry of Transport)
How much do you spend on fuel? How much can you save?
Green Fleet (Sustainable Business Network)
GreenFleet is a practical programme developed by the Sustainable Business Network which enables New Zealand businesses to do something towards reducing the impacts of their vehicle fleet on our environment and people.
Sustainable transport in NZ (Ministry for the Environment)
Sustainable transport is about finding ways to move people, goods and information to reduce impact on the environment, the economy, and society.
Think something should be added to Simply Sustainable? Send your suggestion to webmaster@mfe.govt.nz.
