According to the European Environment Agency, Logistics and transport operations are responsible for 25% of CO2 emissions in Spain. Reducing emissions has become a priority for companies in the sector, not only because there is greater awareness in society about the environment and sustainable production, but because regulations to reduce the carbon footprint will be increasingly demanding and of mandatory compliance to be able to develop any business.

In this sense, one of the keys is that the commitment to sustainability must become an input in the management that makes the company gain efficiencies and savings in logistics and transport. In this article, we break down the keys that will mark the present and the future towards a more sustainable logistics

-Development of stores that are more efficient and sustainable with the environment. For this, it is necessary to implement projects to optimize the operation of logistics warehouses through intelligent management.

-Transport. The use of inefficient vehicles for the urban distribution of merchandise is increasingly restricted with the latest regulations announced by the different city councils in Spain and therefore it is necessary to use propulsion systems alternative to diesel such as LNG (liquefied natural gas) or Hybrid and electric vehicles. In this sense, it is necessary to promote incentives and help companies so that they can renew their mobile fleet, since this investment entails high costs that not all companies can face.

-Technology. Having software solutions with which to measure the carbon footprint would facilitate decision making, as well as the possibility of optimizing transport routes and loads to be more efficient and sustainable.

- Enhance intermodality: combining two or more means of transport makes it more sustainable to take a merchandise from one origin to a destination can be more sustainable, especially if the merchandise does not require a fast shipment, thus transporting a cargo from the origin to a port through a truck and deposit on the ship the container that will leave it at the port of destination is less polluting than doing the entire trip by truck, the medium that generates the most CO2 emissions.

-Increase energy efficiency in logistics centers. Since they operate day and night, it would be interesting to use renewable energies and, for example, take advantage of natural resources such as sunlight for daylight hours, thus reducing electricity and artificial light consumption and, therefore, the environmental impact.

On the other hand, the Lean & Green initiative is the largest European collaboration platform specifically aimed at reducing emissions associated with the supply chain.

It is an international and interprofessional initiative whose objective is to help companies reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20%, within a maximum period of five years. Born in the Netherlands, Lean & Green currently has a presence in Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Switzerland. In Spain, the initiative is promoted through AECOC and several companies have already adhered to it.