More sustainable logistics requires 24/7 supply chain insight

Orfeo Ost, Manager Product Development at Yellowstar

Sustainability is currently the top priority in logistics. In order to realise the climate goals, everyone will ultimately have to work in a more sustainable way. Due to personal conviction or simply because legislation requires it. For companies, structuring this requires insight into the supply chain. Chain cooperation will become even more important than it already was.

Connecting all the links in the logistics chain 24/7 in real time allows companies to make optimal choices at any time. The more transparent the chain, the better the choices made. Does one opt for air, train, or truck shipping? And is immediate shipping actually required? Or is it smarter, cheaper, and more sustainable to wait and send a bundled shipment? Insight is the basis for always carefully balancing all factors: time, money and, increasingly, sustainability.

Faster, more efficient, and more sustainable

At Yellowstar, we’ve been facilitating real-time chain cooperation with innovative, cloud-based software for years. From customer, supplier to chain partner: every link can be connected easily. Chains become completely predictable. With their own dashboard, everyone can monitor and adjust if necessary. Goods don’t disappear into a black hole along the route. This is the basis for companies to operate more sustainably in addition to being faster and more efficient. Insight for instance prevents unnecessary stock, leads to smarter packaging, reduces empty rides, and allows for environmentally friendly train and inland waterway transport, instead of often using the truck last-minute. This allows one to make an informed choice at every stage of the chain.

CO2 emissions are objectively measurable

For all these choices, it’s essential that sustainability - in addition to time and money - is objectively measurable. We have integrated a CO2 calculator for this in our IT solutions for managing intermodal chains and, often global, supply chains. This is done in collaboration with BigMile. Calculating CO2-emissions can be done with minimal data; information about the route, the modality, the packaging unit and the weight of the cargo is sufficient. Of course, the more data available for the calculation, the more accurate the result of the CO2 calculation will be. The CO2 emissions are calculated with one click of a button using a verified calculation method. This can be done for the entire transport, or separately for pre-, main and post transport.

Afterwards, or beforehand

In this way, the CO2 emissions of the transport can easily be fed back to a client for each order, or even made visible to the consumer per item. Even more interesting is performing the CO2 calculation beforehand. Will I opt for air transport with x emissions or train with y emissions? For every situation, the CO2 calculator always allows for an optimal consideration of speed, costs, and sustainability as a new, fully-fledged component.

Change is necessary

Leaders in the logistics chain see the (commercial) value of sustainability and set the right example. At the same time, many companies are still just getting started with chain cooperation, let alone have current insight into CO2 emissions. Nevertheless, they will have to embark on this transition. Either because clients require this and consumers are becoming increasingly critical, or as a result of new European legislation. After all, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) will enter into force in 2024. Everyone will have to follow the path to a more sustainable future.

Plenty of gains to be made!

At Yellowstar, we continue to innovate. We are always looking for new sustainable software solutions with chain cooperation at their core. There are plenty of gains to be made in terms of sustainability in the logistics sector!