Packwise Smart Cap at the DHL Innovation Center
At first glance, logistics is not complicated: something is transported from A to B. But if you take a closer look, you quickly realize that logistics processes are becoming more and more complex:..
We can be green!
A brief analysis on green logistics commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment shows: Packwise is on the right track!
It should become greener – also in logistics. Sustainability and resource efficiency play an increasingly important role in Germany’s third largest economic sector. In 2019, over three million employees in this sector in Germany generated annual sales of almost 279 billion euros. On behalf of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, the VDI Center for Resource Efficiency (VDI ZRE) has now developed and published a short analysis „Resource Efficiency in Trade and Logistics“. The content shows the important potential for environmental protection in the industry.
The problem is clear. Large amounts of resources such as raw materials and energy are also consumed in logistics. In addition to transport, other factors such as storage and materials handling technology as well as the production and use of packaging are central to this. We have taken a look at the brief analysis and summarized some important points from our point of view.
We have looked at the short analysis and summarized important points from our point of view.
Commitment of many is in demand
Today, the economy and the public are increasingly concerned about environmentally friendly logistics. In order to implement green logistics, open-mindedness and willingness to cooperate will be necessary in the future. Not only in large companies, but above all in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). After all, 60,000 SMEs are active in logistics in Germany alone. „Players from all stages of the value chain should work together, from raw material extraction to recycling,“ the analysis states. The willingness to bear the effort and possible costs of the measures is of decisive importance for successful implementation, it says.
Digitization in all areas
New digital possibilities allow improvements in many areas of logistics in the future. For example, for better planning of warehouse stocks. Costly special orders due to bottlenecks, urgent deliveries or even production downtimes can be avoided. Because transport routes are more efficient and means of transport are better utilized, fuel and energy requirements are reduced. The digital twin, which by the way is also made possible by our Packwise Smart Cap, is also seen as a useful innovation for processes in the brief analysis. The paper explicitly mentions the location monitoring of containers with the help of IoT sensors and the resulting control for damage or contamination. The newly acquired data ensures a more efficient use of the containers.
Better route planning
A frightening figure: almost every fourth truck transport in Germany is an empty run. The average transport capacity utilization of trucks is only between 50 and 70 percent. A figure that offers hope: If digital systems already available on the market, such as sensors, software or data transmission technologies, are used, capacity utilization could already be between 80 and 95 percent today. Then there would be significantly fewer trucks on the road. According to VDI ZRE’s Expert:innen, other starting points include the use of regenerative fuels, alternative drive systems and special modifications to delivery vehicles. If the transport volume increases, transport efficiency in general could be improved through better route planning, intelligent fleet management and greater utilization of truck loading areas. Optimized route planning alone could save an average of five percent fuel.
Recycling management for packaging
Whether product packaging or service and transport packaging: „Decisive for sustainable, environmentally friendly packaging management are above all the efficient use of materials in packaging production or use, as well as environmentally friendly waste disposal,“ the authors write in their analysis. The declared goal should be a recycling economy. The following points are important: the avoidance of packaging, a reduction of packaging quantity and harmfulness, the reuse through reusable systems as well as the recycling of packaging material.
With the analysis, VDI ZRE wants to sensitize the participants in the logistics industry to the topic of green logistics and show where changes are possible and sensible. The paper shows us: with the Packwise Smart Cap we can make an important contribution to making processes more resource-efficient. Packwise can be green!
If you want to read the original analysis, you can find it here!