SUSTAINABILITY
SUSTAINABILITY IN E-COMMERCE : THE RESOURCE-SAVING ONLINE SHOP JUST A DREAM OR REALITY?
Sustainability is a hot topic not only in retail, but also in e-commerce. The increase in online shopping means that more people are buying goods and services online than ever before. This development has a particularly large impact on the logistics industry: while brick-and-mortar retail and grocery shops only require a few deliveries per week, an e-commerce shop may be visited dozens or even hundreds of times per day by customers from all over the world. In addition to these different logistical requirements, the specific challenges of e-commerce also include increased consumption of transport fuels, higher CO2 emissions and air pollution - even if these are often only indirectly caused (e.g. by the transport of goods).
HIGH BACKLOG DEMAND
Long before national and international climate protection policies, some have already turned their attention to the issue of sustainability. More and more customers know why it matters. One of our ERP clients took these insights further by switching to our hetero-hybrid approach: He converted his inventory to the latest version recommended by the country's climate office, which has special eligibility conditions for renewable energy. However, this move has had other positive effects: Electricity costs were reduced, the mode of dispatch was changed with the switch - and manages the balancing act between compliance and business advantage.
A study by the GWT (Gesellschaft für Wissens- und Technologietransfer) in 2021 found that "more than 3 million of today's medium-sized companies in Germany are leading an insecure existence due to their energy efficiency orientation". There are many ways in which this situation can be improved. Such ways were shown by the company in its 2020 report, which was recently published.
SUSTAINABILITY A CONCEPT WITH MANY FACETS
Sustainability is a multi-faceted term that is open to various definitions and interpretations. It is on everyone's lips. However, if we look at sustainability from the perspective of human beings who need to meet their basic needs for survival and well-being, we see that sustainability encompasses the economic, social and environmental dimensions. The economic dimension refers to the economy in its broadest sense - all economic activities required (raw materials) and resources generated (pollution). The social dimension refers to how people relate to each other, e.g. in terms of equality, diversity and inclusion. The third dimension - the ecological - is concerned with resource management: how do we treat our natural environment?
We are committed to the sustainable development of our company throughout its value chain and strive to increase eco-efficiency. We will constantly improve our efforts in cooperation with our employees, customers, suppliers and producers to give the highest priority to product safety, customer satisfaction and environmental protection.