8 minute read
GREEN LOGISTICS
GREENING LOGISTICS
ECOFRIENDLY AND SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION METHODS
We have been witnessing supply chain disruptions caused by climate change, floods in some parts of the world, dry weather causing lower crops and forest fires in other parts. There is no doubt we need to cut carbon emissions. This was reiterated by world leaders at the COP27 Conference in Egypt. We’re putting unprecedented strain on our planet and our resources are finite. What can the logistics world do to help cut our carbon emissions?
Many recent initiatives involve EVs and the electrification of fleets but there are developments with other transport modes. Airlines aim to use greener fuel, called SAF (sustainable aviation fuel), to decarbonize aviation. SAF’s are defined as renewable or waste-derived aviation fuels, produced from sustainable feedstocks. Typical feedstocks include cooking oil, waste oil from animals or plants, solid waste from homes and businesses like packaging, paper, textiles, and other scraps that would otherwise go to landfills. Other potential sources include forestry waste and energy crops. The SAFs currently used by airlines on a trial basis are made from cooking oil and animal waste fat.
Two issues hamper the process: producing such fuels requires substantial investments in new plants and the current worldwide capacity is limited. With no economies of scale, SAFs cost at least two to three times more than regular jet fuel. Several airlines have nevertheless partnered with shippers and freight forwarders offering options to offset or reduce greenhouse gas emissions from travel or freight transportation. Whether these moves will have an impact or are merely greenwashing, remains to be seen. Another approach is flying less air cargo, since ocean shipping is cheaper and more environmentally friendly. Ironically, the opposite may happen: Boeing’s 2022 world air cargo forecast predicts demand for air cargo will double over the next 20 years.
ECO-FRIENDLY WATERS
Shipping lines are decarbonizing by moving from bunker oil and investing in more fuel-efficient, LNG-propelled, or methanol-propelled ships. These transition fuels could lead to producing bio-methane and e-methane. CMA-CGM, which has 31 e-methane ready ships in its fleet, plans to operate 77 such ships by the end of 2026.
Maersk has orders for 19 vessels with dual-fuel engines that can be operated on green methanol, including six 17,000 TEU ships. Maersk is going further, investing in a green methanol production facility in Rosholt, South Dakota. The first facility will be co-located with the existing Red River Energy bioethanol plant and will have an annual capacity of 100,000 tonnes. Production should start in 2027 and Maersk plans to purchase the full volume produced at the plant.
MSC has commissioned 12 LNG-powered ships and Taiwan’s Yang Ming recently invited shipyards to bid on five LNG-powered ships. Containerlines are not the only ones, as Rio Tinto announced has placed an order for nine newcastlemax bulkers with engines capable of using both regular fuel and LNG. Rio Tinto expects to deploy the first one in 2023. It plans to reduce emissions by 40 per cent by 2025, thanks to biofuels and LNG-powered vessels.
Until these new green fuels are developed, there is an issue with LNG: the second largest LNG-producer is the US and their natural gas is extracted through fracking. Fracking creates vast amounts of wastewater, emits greenhouse gases, releases toxic air pollutants, and can lead to loss of animal and plant habitats, species decline, migratory disruptions, and land degradation. Is this really what we want to encourage? Also, do we really need bigger containerships?
Dockside, ports around the world are using the cold ironing method to reduce emissions. Cold ironing can supply a ship by shore power when it docks, to run operations like ventilation, heating, cooling, pumps, control systems and cargo handling systems, instead of using the ship’s generators. This is now widely used but its benefits depend on how the shore power is generated. If it comes from an oil- or a coal-fired power plant, there is no benefit.
Our federal government has committed to creating a system of zero-emission maritime routes between ports and to create green shipping corridors. At the COP27,
Christian Sivière is president at Solimpex.
Canada has joined the Zero-Emission Shipping Mission initiative, with the goal of working to eliminate emissions and tackle the climate crisis. We also have a Green Shipping Corridors Network in the Great Lakes-St Lawrence Seaway System program with the US but these high-level initiatives are short on details so far.
Several countries have also agreed to join the Global Memorandum of Understanding on ZeroEmission Medium and Heavy-Duty Vehicles. Canada joined at the COP26 and there are now 26 signatories. The MOU’s aim is 30 per cent zero-emission new medium and heavy-duty vehicles by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2040.
Switching to hydrogen or EVs has its challenges. For example, will the power grid be able to handle all these vehicles? Ultimately, our goal should be to improve public transit, stop overconsumption and reduce waste, not employ more vehicles.
An example is apparel overconsumption. With the combined effect of “fast fashion” and e-commerce encouraging consumers to buy more through free shipping and free returns, more textiles go to landfills. In the US, about 85 per cent of all textiles end up in landfills annually. And the percentage of non-biodegradable synthetics is rising. We must consume wisely and buy more durable goods. This winter, don’t buy a snowblower, get a shovel instead. Hopefully, the shovel is made in Canada. SP
Using Fleet Management Technology to Build Sustainable Best Practices in the T&L Industry
Shash Anand, SVP of Product Strategy, SOTI
Fleet management technology is often heralded for its ability to facilitate smoother operations, decrease inefficiencies and more. What fleet management solutions aren’t recognized for is their ability to drive sustainability best practices in the Transportation & Logistics (T&L) sector. For example, fleet management solutions can extend device lifespan to avoid unnecessary e-waste or optimize fuel usage. The potential for more sustainable fleet management options must be better understood and capitalized upon to further reduce a supply chain’s impact on the environment.
Sustainability Tactics in T&L
According to research by SOTI, 68% of IT leaders state that device management is an important environmental issue. Yet 67% of Canadian IT leaders believe devices are replaced prematurely, contributing to excess and unnecessary e-waste. In fact, 49% of respondents stated they replace devices whether they still work or not.
Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) solutions, in combination with a Diagnostic Intelligence solution like SOTI XSight, allow operators to seamlessly and continuously monitor device usage and device battery health, encouraging practices that lengthen the life of the device and determine when a device is actually ready for disposal. With operational intelligence, a feature of SOTI XSight, metrics are pulled regarding critical data of your devices to pinpoint the root cause of issues. This allows your IT team to quickly diagnose the problem and find the right solution to solve it, rather than staying blind to issues occurring in your device fleet.
Similarly, fleet management tech can help facilitate more sustainable fuel usage by monitoring fuel levels across fleets. Idling has shown to consume approximately 7,500 liters (1981.29 gallons) of fuel per truck per year. Using a fleet management solution that monitors and diagnoses fuel overuse can be highly effective in fostering more sustainable practices. In fact, the use of these technologies have been shown to cut fuel costs by up to 25%.
Powering Sustainability
Platforms such as SOTI XSight, which have complete fleet management capabilities in one solution, will be key in creating best practices to foster sustainability within the sector. With advanced diagnostics and automated monitoring, T&L managers and head office can stay on top of what’s happening with any device in their fleet and be alerted to problems the minute they occur. Such a solution pulls diagnostic data in real-time providing organizations with the key data they need to make informed decisions on aspects such as fuel waste or premature device waste.
With SOTI XSight, T&L organizations get the industry’s most comprehensive remote-control capabilities, which allow IT teams to manipulate a device in the field as if they were holding it in their hand. Interactions with end users are further improved with features such as remotely drawing, whiteboarding and annotating on the device screen, as well as recording audio and video. With these remote-control capabilities organizations can not only identify emergency issues as they happen but can also remedy them immediately and with precision and clear communication.
Tips For T&L Sustainability Best Practices
In addition to leveraging fleet management technology built to power sustainability efforts, there are a few best practices T&L organizations can implement. For example, just like a car, regular maintenance and service, using approved device accessories (chargers, docking stations, cords, etc.) and keeping devices free of unnecessary apps will help extend the lifespan of enterprise mobile devices, even in challenging environments with many users.
Another best practice is to use devices which are built to last. Rugged devices can last up to five years, compared to the lifespan of a typical enterprise mobile device, which lasts approximately two and a half years. Ask yourself what’s preferable and better for the environment: replacing a device twice in a decade or four times?
Additionally, maintaining device battery health must be prioritized. To do this, organizations can implement dashboards to monitor battery charge cycles, temperature, turning on a device’s battery saver mode, closing the most power-hungry apps when not in use, using data to predict when batteries will fail, and proactively replacing them and shortening idle time before devices lock or sleep.
Organizations across sectors are actively seeking ways to reduce waste and their environmental footprint. As more advanced mobile devices are implemented into the field, T&L companies must find a balance in adopting the latest in technology with their overall sustainability practices. With the right fleet management technology solutions, such as SOTI XSight, they can.
Learn more about SOTI XSight and how it can augment your sustainability programs here: soti.net/products/soti-xsight/
