Page 8 - ITLN May June 2023 Magazine

Cover Story
Sustainability

said Vikash Agarwal, Managing Director,
Maersk South Asia.
Mahindra Logistics has developed
a number of sustainability projects
centred on resource conservation,
carbon neutrality, and circularity. As
part of the same, they are developing
a robust electric ecosystem for the
supply chain and enterprise mobility
companies, which includes net zero “The major obstacles faced by
warehouses, the deployment of eDeL, businesses while switching to green
a range of electric vehicles for last mile logistics can be implementing green
delivery operations, and electric people logistics methods that can require
mobility via Meru Cabs. great investment in new technologies,
“Additionally, Mahindra Logistics equipment, and infrastructure. This
has been encouraging partner fleets to can be a major barrier for small and
adopt CNG-powered cargo and mobility medium-sized businesses that may
vehicles. The company targets to have not have the resources to make these
20% of the warehouses solar powered investments. Adopting green logistics
by the end of FY2024 and is investing methods may also require major
in energy efficiency, and renewable changes to business operations, which
energy. In keeping with our pledge and can be difficult to implement and may
strategy to achieve carbon neutrality face resistance from employees and
by 2040, Mahindra Logistics has not Sourcing technologies stakeholders. Limited availability of
only joined SBTi but has also been that are still not widely green technologies can be a challenge
successful in getting their validation available and which as some green technologies, such as
of its targets for carbon emission for need scaling up for bio-fuels and vehicles, may not be widely
2021,” said Ankur Singhai, Head of available in certain regions or may be
Ecommerce, Mahindra Logistics. competitive pricing prohibitively expensive,” said Mathur.
Another option is to use cleaner means that we have One of the major barriers that
fuels, such as electric or hybrid an impact by adopting organisations face when implementing
automobiles, which can emit less sustainable solutions green logistics is the expense of
pollution than standard diesel or today. deploying new technology and
gasoline-powered vehicles. procedures. Transitioning to electric
“Varuna Group is committed to Vikash Agarwal vehicles, for example, or making
engaging in environmentally sustainable Maersk South Asia warehouses more energy-efficient may
practices as a logistics firm. These need significant financial expenditures.
practices include offering training on GoGreen Carbon Neutral Service across “Sourcing technologies that are
green education and sustainability international and domestic markets, still not widely available and which
best practices at the warehouse level, back in 2011. Similarly, Shadowfax aims need scaling up for competitive pricing
implementing renewable energy systems to turn 75% of its fleet into electric means that we have an impact by
and usage of natural day-lighting, vehicles by the end of 2024, as a part adopting sustainable solutions today.
adopting water-saving practices, of its zero-pollution campaign,” said However, we are committed to our
promoting recycling and reuse, utilising Naveen Mathur, AVP, NimbusPost. purpose of improving life for all by
SRI coating paint and thermal-coated integrating the world. And this means
bubble sheets, and designing efficient Challenges & solutions on-route we are willing to go the extra mile to
docking bays,” said Vivek Juneja, Founder to sustainability make this happen. We are confident
and Managing Director, Varuna Group. One of the biggest challenges for that eventually adopting sustainability
NimbusPost implements businesses implementing green logistics will have a positive impact on the
environmental sustainability by is dealing with large investments, financials of the company in the long
associating with carrier partners who whether they are connected to expenses run,” said Agarwal.
share a commitment to sustainability and to install sustainability measures in According to Singhai, “Given the
regularly assess environmental impact to warehouses or transport operations. This current boom in tech logistics, there
identify areas for improvement. difficulty often necessitates a purposeful is a need to look at sustainability from
“Some of our leading courier partners effort to choose sustainability measures multiple lenses. The industry and its
such as Blue Dart and Shadowfax have over environmentally damaging ones, leaders will have to come together to
been consistently putting their efforts despite the extra expenses, as well as make sustainable logistics a reality.
forward towards green logistics. Blue corporate alignment and dedication to Hence, mindset is the biggest obstacle
Dart announced India’s first end-to-end green operations. that companies should overcome.”
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