Royal Mail’s latest carbon reductions: green logistics or green-wash?
The Royal Mail here in the UK put out a press release last week announcing that it was “piling post hight to reduce environmental impact”. The story relates to the acquisition of 140 double-decked trailers for its distribution network, each with increased carrying capacity that will reduce the total road miles in the system.
On the one hand, Royal Mail is actively reducing the environmental impact of its business. In addition to the double-decked trailers, they have also signed a deal with EDF Energy to supply 2,500 sites with 100 per cent renewable energy. But much letter post can and will be replaced by electronic communication, cutting environmental waste more directly. The simple fact is that a greener Royal Mail is probably a smaller Royal Mail, something not in the interest of the managers of the business.
However this is a good example of a happy coincidence of financial and green objectives: cutting cost (fuel, driver hours) helps cut environmental damage (carbon emissions). I would argue this is often the case: waste reduction will in general reduce emissions.
Links
http://www.news.royalmailgroup.com/news/articlec.asp?id=2029&brand=royal_mail
Categories: Supply Chain News and Comment.
Tags: Distribution, Green Supply Chain, Public Sector
Comments: 2
Comments
Comment from Martin Arrand
Time 27 September 2007 at 8:27 am
Hi Ross - glad you’re still checking the blog.
I did some work for Royal Mail a few years ago, and their standard load unit was a specially-designed roll-cage (originally made to fit on mail trains). So load-unload times for double-deckers will be pretty good (better than two single-decked vehicles if you include time to drive in/out of dock). I’d say this was one instance when cost, service and environmental concerns are well-aligned.
Comment from Ross
Time 26 September 2007 at 4:29 pm
Hi Martin
A few things stike me about this. How do dd’s help the Royal Mail - if post that hard to stack?
Also..
>>The simple fact is that a greener Royal Mail is probably a smaller Royal Mail,….
yeah but what about a slower one too? I wonder if by increasing the del time, if improvements could be made?