Strengthening sustainability through supply chain efficiency

Acting responsibly for the environment and conserving resources is a matter of course at HARTMANN. Nowhere in our company is this truer than in supply chain management. In our second article on sustainability in the supply chain, we look at what changes in our transport are helping to bring us closer to achieving our climate-neutral goals.

A commitment to the climate

We are all moving together to reach the goal set out by the European Union’s Green Deal – to become climate neutral by 2050. This requires companies to examine every aspect of how they do business. It presents a particular challenge for logistics, because the supply chain generates the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions associated with the consumer sector.

Building a more sustainable supply chain is no small task, but the team at HARTMANN has been successfully laying out the stepping-stones. The opportunities are many, ranging from small improvements, like increasing the number of pallets on trucks, to big changes, like working with dual transportation systems. With each solution, the supply chain not only reduces CO2 equivalent (CO2e) emissions but also cuts costs. Supply chain management is constantly implementing changes on an ongoing basis. Below are a couple of great examples.

Acting responsibly for the environment and conserving resources is a matter of course at HARTMANN. No place in our company is this truer than in supply chain management. In our second article on sustainability in the supply chain, we look at what changes in our transport are helping bring us closer to achieving our climate-neutral goals.

Just be direct

What’s the quickest way between point A and point B? Most people would answer: the most direct path. However, logistic operations often end up using several routes or even a complicated network of options. In the last couple of years, supply chain management has made great progress working directly with customers to find solutions that dramatically cut the number of routes that deliveries need to take. This saves money for customers – and helps, both HARTMANN and the customer, reduce their carbon footprints.
In Lièpvre France, the team found a way to cut out the middleman, so to speak. For shipments outside of Europe, they eliminated the restocking stop in Herbrechtingen. Now finished goods leave from Lièpvre and go directly to the Hamburg port. In terms of distance traveled, that’s a reduction of 200 km for just one way. Assuming 275 trucks a year at 22 tons, this initiative will cut CO2e emissions by 145t a year.

On the road to a sustainable supply chain

That were just two examples – there are many more in the pipeline. With every change, improvement and innovation, our supply chain management shaves off a percentage of our greenhouse gas emissions. Whether by switching to eco-pallets made of recyclable materials, using sustainable fuels, or optimizing networks and creating green “last mile” delivery options, we know that we can deliver better with less.

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