Sustainable logistics: why should it be a priority?

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG). In the way we perceive it, these are the main pillars of our era. In recent years, the ESG concept is stimulating leaders around the world and encouraging a future in which economic productivity occurs in a sustainable, intelligent and optimized way.

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Therefore, we take the opportunity to talk about a very special concept in this topic. After all, do you know what sustainable logistics is? If not, no problem! Our goal is to present this idea to you, exploring a little more about the future of maritime transport. Keep reading on!

Why is sustainable logistics so important?

Sustainability is a relatively old but increasingly important concept. Its main idea is that productive systems and models are able to maintain their operations in a balanced and positive way, considering environmental, social and economic factors.

This is also why renewable energy solutions are so linked to sustainable campaigns and planning. After all, there is nothing more sustainable than non-exhausting energy sources. However, sustainability goes much further, and can be applied in several procedures.

Of course, the most famous implementations are the most impacting. Here, we highlight the efforts that many companies and countries make to reduce their carbon footprints. In fact, the maritime sector itself has these initiatives — the so-called carbon neutral operations.

Another example is the electrification of the vehicular grid, which is less and less dependent on fossil fuels. But this is not only at the macro level, but also in the routine of offices. Technologies such as electronic signature are able to reduce costs and eliminate the use of resources such as paper.

Therefore, every productive activity can benefit from some sustainable solution — and this is where we come across sustainable logistics. As you well know, this is an indispensable sector for the pace of our society, as it is primarily responsible for the efficient flow of all productivity.

To talk a little more about this, we invited an important person from our team: João David, Health, Safety, Environment and Sustainability manager at Wilson Sons. Right from the start, João emphasizes the indispensability of logistics to the level we have reached as a civilization:

“There is an intrinsic need for everything that is done from the logistical aspect. Every comfort that is sought today, has logistics in its process. Being such an important cornerstone, it is essential that, in its operation, it considers its positive and negative impacts from a social and environmental point of view.”

João observes that the exercise of logistics “depends on people, energy and natural resources. This energy production, and consequently its consumption, is associated with the impacts.” Because of this, thinking about sustainable logistics is an increasingly important priority.

But far beyond contemplating environmental benefits, sustainable logistics also advocates the adoption of solutions in technology and occupational safety. After all, these are two fundamental bases for the operational health of any sector — meaning: the efficiency of processes and the protection of employees.

It is with this in mind that port intelligence and occupational health and safety solutions are adopted. In fact, this is a field in which João can navigate very easily, since it is one of his main competencies and objectives within Wilson Sons — to reflect and promote a safe, healthy and efficient operating environment.

And here, it is worth noting that we are one of the greatest national references in the subject. HSE (Occupational Health, Occupational Safety and Environment) is one of the main principles of Wilson Sons, which today is at the top of the ranking as one of the best companies to work for in Brazil.

What are the main advantages of sustainable logistics?

Saving, reputation, innovation and responsibility. As we see it, these are the four advantages that stimulate the adoption of sustainability in the logistics environment. Below, we detail each of these points. Check it out!

Savings

To “Make it Sustainable” is to save. This is a reality that has been observed in all industries, whether with the implementation of solar energy, electronic signatures, or other technologies. Between the medium and long term, every sustainable solution offers an explosive ROI for the operation that takes this road.

Logically, some solutions imply initial implementation costs, such as fleet electrification, the installation of photovoltaic panels, the contracting of software, consultancies and so on. However, any solid company knows that it operates with an eye on the future, and not just the present and the past.

Reputation

Sustainability has always been a prudent management direction, even when it was not a hot topic. In our era, ESG is the acronym that should guide the decisions of the coming years. Because of this, the market is attentive to all companies that dedicate themselves to this agenda. In this matter, we represent the market in two instances.

The first is consumers. As you may have noticed, there is a growing interest in the broader society for smart, sustainable, and efficient solutions in the management of available resources. Because of this, those who operate sustainably are seen with good eyes by this layer of society, both civil society and business.

The second instance is the capital market. In recent years, ESG ratings have become fundamental in the decision-making of large investment funds — which reflects the mentality of both those who manage and individuals who invest their own capital.

More than ever, we live in a period when people and companies “vote” with their own money, effectively supporting companies and projects that care about the future. Because of this, any investment in sustainability is invariably an investment in reputation and visibility.

Innovation

In a world of finite resources, it is essential to reconcile intelligence and applied technology to transition to more efficient and sustainable models — which applies both to the transition to renewable energy matrices and to the adoption of other technologies that transform the way of producing and working.

Because of this, investment in sustainability is always accompanied by an innovation tendency. After all, this is an environment that has not yet been fully explored, which encourages thousands of creative minds to innovate on unresolved problems.

Responsibility

Lastly and most importantly, the recognition of your responsibility in this journey. Climatically, we are going through a delicate period in our history. More than ever, it is important that civil society, business, and the government are united towards environmental responsibility.

In this sense, investing in sustainable technology, even if restricted to the logistics operation, is already a small but major step towards change. Thus, there is no way to even argue against this direction because the gains are substantial in saving, protection of human capital, reputation and visibility.

To conclude, we have a final observation by our expert, João David. Ultimately, “the important thing is to recognize that one must participate in this transition and act in a leading role.” And this is the moral principle of Wilson Sons — to be an agent of technological, social and environmental transformation, adopting solutions of logistics, economic and productive sustainability.

Now that you know the importance of the topic for the sector, take the opportunity to continue learning. To do this, get to know a little more about green logistics!