Deutsche Post DHL has released its latest industry report Fair and Responsible Logistics which examines how posts and carriers can grow their business in a sustainable yet profitable way.
The report acknowledges the growing expectations of consumers for businesses to ‘go fair’ and highlights that while many companies are relying on digitalization and new technologies, they should not overlook the movement toward fair and responsible business.
Fair and Responsible Logistics provides insights into three key areas including the meaning of fair and responsible business, leading fair and responsible business practices across different industries, and the key uses for fair and responsible logistics and what successful approaches look like.
It then goes on to provide 15 potential ‘use cases’ to show how logistics companies can facilitate the circular economy and enable fair access, production and trade. From these potential use cases, DHL plans to develop proofs of concept to accelerate the drive toward fair and responsible logistics.
Dr Markus Kückelhaus, vice president innovation and trend research, DHL Customer Solutions and Innovation, said, “We see a growing demand for fair and responsible business practices from all stakeholders, and we believe logistics can accelerate the adoption of this trend. Logistics is a network business with a global reach that can play a key role in helping businesses to ‘go fair’ and in improving transparency across the entire supply chain. By placing fair and responsible logistics at the core of our own business, new revenue streams can be generated, as well as new social and environmental value for all stakeholders.”
One of the examples given in the report is the establishment of recycling-friendly warehouses and trucks that cater for both logistics and recycling. This includes delivery trucks equipped with flexible interiors that adjust as parcels are offloaded, creating a collection area for recyclables on the return journey.
Fair and responsible packaging solutions can also help to cope with burgeoning parcel volumes. This involves using biodegradable and other eco-friendly materials that can be thrown on garden compost heaps after delivery. A second innovation is ‘logistics unverpackt’, a concept where items are delivered in reusable containers, achieving a zero-waste approach.
Katharina Tomoff, vice president shared value, Deutsche Post DHL Group, said, “With our GoGreen solutions we already meet the increasing demand for responsible logistics and create a shared value for our customers, our business and the environment. We are striving to expand related solutions such as reverse logistics for a circular economy.”
Markus Kückelhaus shares his thoughts about the new report in his blog Act Fair – driving the responsibility transformation, to read more click here.
To read more from the Fair and Responsible Logistics report from DHL click here.
November 19, 2015