Green Companies Take New Steps to Lower Carbon Footprint of Transportation

The number of businesses that are focused on sustainability is growing every year. According to KPMG, 96% of the world’s largest 250 companies have formal plans to make their businesses more sustainable and report those results.

Many smaller companies are also taking steps to lower their carbon footprint, minimize pollution and consume fewer natural resources. One of the most important ways that they can do so is by lowering the carbon footprint of their transportation.

But how can companies make their transportation eco-friendlier? There are a few important steps that they can take, which we will get into below.

How Important is It for Companies to Lower the Carbon Footprint of their Transportation?

The United States Environmental Protection Agency reports that the transportation sector accounts for 28% of the global carbon footprint. This is higher than almost every other sector. When you consider the carbon footprint of industries that the transportation industry depends on, such as the oil industry, that impact is even higher. For example, the oil industry is responsible for 15% of all carbon emissions.

Any business that wants to help the planet is going to need to make it a priority to lower the carbon footprint of their transportation. Fortunately, there are a lot of steps they can take to do so.

How Can Green Companies Make their Transportation Eco-Friendly?

Some businesses may not realize that there are a lot of things they can do to be eco-friendlier. Some of the changes they can make to their transportation are listed below.

Make Sure Routes Are Completed More Efficiently

One of the biggest reasons that businesses have a large carbon footprint with their transportation is that they don’t complete routes efficiently. They may unintentionally take a longer route than necessary, which obviously means that they will use more gas to complete it. This is one of the reasons that technology like car tracking software has started to become a lot more popular.

They should plan their routes as carefully as possible to minimize traveling unnecessary miles. One of the best ways to do this is by using logistics software to determine the fastest possible route. More advanced transportation planning software can also account for things like the speed limits on various roads and expected traffic patterns, which can help them travel at the right speeds to maximize fuel efficiency and minimize time idling in heavy traffic.

Consolidate Loads to Avoid Unnecessary Trips

You will also want to consider consolidating trips. There are a lot of ways that this can be done. One of the most important things is to plan expected shipping dates so that customers located along a single route can all be served at one time. Companies should try to use their entire load capacity to avoid unnecessary wasted space in their trucks.

Start Using Hybrid or Electric Vehicles

It is also a very good idea to use vehicles that are as eco-friendly as possible. Electric and hybrid vehicles can lower your carbon footprint a lot, which is obviously better for the environment. The New York Times published an article in 2022 showing that all studies on the topic showed that electric vehicles lowered emissions between 50% and 70%. This is a huge benefit that simply can’t be overlooked.

Greener Transportation Should Be Crucial for Eco-Friendly Companies

Eco-friendly businesses need to do everything possible to lower their carbon emissions. One of the most important things they should consider is finding ways to lower the carbon footprint of their transportation. The ideas listed above should make a big difference.