What’s the most common trend you see these days? Like every online brand, be it D2C or B2B, it focuses on a major cause of the global world, and that is sustainability. Sustainable ways of living and eco-friendly business practices have become a common approach these days. Further, businesses are readily trying to touch base with the stakeholders involved in core industries like shipping and transportation to adopt sustainable trade practices. 

Now, to talk specifically about the shipping and logistics industry, we all know how much world trade relies on it. There is no possible way to reduce the volume of cross-border trade to curb the greenhouse emissions and pollution it causes. So, the only way to march ahead in today’s hyper-globalised and profoundly interconnected world is by embracing sustainable shipping practices.

Given the fact that the shipping industry is extremely carbon-intensive, almost contributing to 3% of global greenhouse emissions, recent developments in technology have opened the doors for the industry to look for green and sustainable alternatives to bypass the conventional methods of shipping and logistics. 

Let’s get into the details of sustainable practices and approaches that the business can adopt and what the future holds for the industry in the long run. In addition to that, this blog will further talk about inventory management and the role that evolving technology has played in making it sustainable. So stay tuned!  

What’s the Role of Technological Advancements in Achieving Sustainable Shipping?   

Undoubtedly, the booming technology has contributed greatly to the generation of clean energy in the past decade. Technological advancements have played a crucial role in helping businesses achieve sustainable development goals and setting the bar high for energy efficiency across the globe.     

One key aspect is the development of cleaner and more efficient propulsion systems, such as hybrid and electric engines for ships. These technologies help reduce harmful emissions like sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides, which are major contributors to air pollution and climate change.

Further, advancements in hull design and materials contribute to making ships more streamlined and fuel-efficient, further lowering their environmental impact. Automation and digitalisation also improve operational efficiency, optimising routes and reducing fuel consumption. Implementing these technological innovations not only promotes environmental sustainability by reducing carbon footprints but also enhances overall efficiency and competitiveness in the shipping industry.

What Is Inventory Control And How It Has Become More Sustainable With Time

Inventory management or inventory control is the upkeep of goods and products in the stock to deliver and make them available to the customers when they place an online order. Inventories are well-managed storage spaces where sellers or manufacturers stock their products.

With technological evolution, many traditional facets of inventory management have changed. For instance,  predictive analytics has reduced the chances of overstocking in inventory management and that is somewhere reducing the waste generation in inventory. Thus, increasing technological advancements are making different aspects of shipping and logistics more sustainable. 

Here are the Different Ways in Which Sustainability is Enhanced in the Shipping Industry 

Embrace Sustainable Packaging

Given the fact that packaging in the shipping industry consists of multiple components for maintaining several layering for supreme protection of the goods, most of that material is non-biodegradable. Mostly plastics are a real menace to the environment. While replacing plastic packaging with green alternatives in one go is impossible, gradually it can be replaced by biodegradable plastics, plant-based plastics (one made from cornstarch or sugarcane), mushroom packaging, bio-packing peanuts and bubble wraps, edible packaging, corrugated cardboard, bio shrink wraps, bamboo and compostable bags, paper pulp packaging, air pillows, etc.   

Switch to biofuels and EVs

Biofuels are the best alternatives to conventional fossil fuels currently being used in the shipping industry. They belong to the category of gaseous or liquid fuels generated from biomass-like feedstock via biological processes. Currently, they are available in the form of drop-in-fuels, such as HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Fuel) or blend-in-fuels like FAME (Fatty Acid Methyl Ester).

Biofuels will not only decarbonise the shipping industry in the forthcoming days but also foster sustainability and scalability in the global supply chains. 

Electric Vehicles are the future and the current boom in the global EV market signifies the fact that the logistics sector is swiftly switching to EVs. In the logistics industry, electric vehicles are adaptable and appropriate for a wide range of freight and shipment delivery operations. Given their excellent manoeuvrability and low carbon footprint, EVs are a great choice for last-mile delivery. They are particularly beneficial for small city centres and urban areas since they encourage clean air circulation and significantly reduce carbon emissions. 

Supply Chain Optimisation

Being the backbone of national and international trade, supply chains need continuous upgradation to achieve efficiency and sustainability in the logistics and shipping sector. Optimising supply chains includes enhancing supply chain visibility via route optimisation, end-to-end tracking, better Supplier Relationship Management(SRM), adopting ethical labour practices, recycling generated waste, employing green technology, etc. New-age technologies like predictive analytics, robotics, and AI have already been transforming several facets of contemporary supply chains.

These technologies can resolve one of the major problems faced by the stakeholders in the shipping industry and that is- ‘port congestion and lost shipments’. Predictive analytics can by and large empower shipping businesses to monitor and map route traffic and track the real-time movement of goods and commodities moving through the supply chains. Including automation within the global supply chains is the way to reduce GHG emissions and cut down on the carbon footprints of the shipping industry.   

Will Sustainability Become A Major Trend In The Shipping Industry Ahead? 

A sustainable way of doing business demands collective efforts and intensive collaboration between the various entities involved in global supply chain management. It’s a gradual process which calls for persistence, perseverance, and proactiveness from global leaders in the industry to step forward and commit to adopting eco-friendly measures and policies in the present with a clear approach and intent.

One of the major shipping aggregators NimbusPost collaborate with multiple courier companies in India that are practising green logistics and eco-conscious shipping and setting up a benchmark for other players in eCommerce shipping and logistics.