subject: New green initiatives will make it easier for delivery companies to prove they can help save the planet [print this page] New green initiatives will make it easier for delivery companies to prove they can help save the planet
By their definition, worldwide parcel delivery companies serve every corner of their territories. But in so doing, it is widely recognised that they emit large amounts of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas. Many argue that this is the price to be paid for offering a near-universal service, especially when it is subject to non-stop downward pressures on price. But a major incentive for international courier companies to be seen to be taking a lead on cutting their harmful emissions is the fact that their vehicle fleets have such a high profile on the streets of cities all around the world.
If those companies can then say that their vehicles might appear to be everywhere, and carrying vital parcels to important people, helping literally - to keep the wheels of commerce turning, but they are doing so while not contributing to global warming, then their reputation is likely to be greatly enhanced. After all, everyone loves receiving a parcel. Yet hardly anyone gives any thought to the resources which will have been used in carrying it on its journey.
That is why the worldwide delivery companies feel obliged to take a lead in making their operations as efficient as possible. They are concentrating great efforts on sourcing new, more energy-efficient vehicles, but in the longer run, they have always known that, as long as demand on those vehicles continues to increase with the growth in the number of parcels being sent, then the main strategy for restricting the impact of all these extra journeys on the environment is for them to be planned with close regard to the CO2 emissions which result.
That means that running less environmentally damaging vehicles and training drivers in how to achieve the biggest possible savings in CO2 emissions will continue to be one of the main means by which delivery companies can reduce their carbon footprint. However, another major source of these emissions for courier companies is their premises. There is no doubt that the latest mail and parcel handling and sorting technology is large and sometimes unwieldy. Companies must also ensure that they comply with health and safety regulations governing their staff's working conditions.
This means that more ecologically-sound methods of heating and powering their premises, while often involving substantial set-up expense, will also bring long-term savings. The overheads involved in operating a delivery business are considerable so if a company can cut these, and achieve results which benefit the environment, as the saying goes, everyone's a winner.
Cutting energy use, and therefore their costs, is high on the priority list of every international delivery company, as this produces savings which they can pass on to their customers through competitive parcel prices.
