Think strategically about carbon management

With so many stakeholders emphasizing carbon reduction, from governmental agencies to consumers to customers, sustainability has become an integral part of how organizations run their supply chain operations.

The impact of carbon reduction on warehouses and distribution centers, as well as the transport of components from suppliers and finished products to customers, make supply chain operations well positioned to offer real benefits to organizations looking to both reduce their environmental impact and increase efficiency.

APQC has conducted analysis of its Open Standards Benchmarking data in logistics to determine how organizations with a strong focus on carbon management perform on key logistics measures. It considered logistics performance for organizations focused on carbon management for three key areas: distribution centers and warehouses, thirdparty logistics (3PL) providers and transportation companies.

APQC's data indicates that these organizations reap performance benefits and perform better than organizations with less focus on carbon management. Examples from supply chain organizations that excel at carbon management show
how sustainability efforts can both save organizations money and make a positive impact on the environment.

Distribution centers and warehouses

According to APQC's data, more than one-third of organizations have a significant, ongoing low carbon design program for their distribution centers and warehouses. These programs can include late customization to minimize storage of products, the use of reusable and recyclable packaging and the reduction of carbon in the reverse logistics process. Only 9% of organizations report that they have no such ongoing program.

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