Sustainable routes ahead

Sunil Kumar, Country President, Henkel Adhesive Technologies, India, discusses boosting sustainability through rail and waterways

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dispatch options. By combining technology with greener modes of transport, organizations can build more efficient, cost effective, and environmentally responsible logistics networks.

Today, road transportation dominates in logistics operations in India. How are logistics players taking steps to reduce emissions in road transportation?

Logistics players in India are taking multiple steps to reduce emissions in road transportation. A key focus is the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), with companies deploying midand small-payload EVs for last-mile delivery and gradually introducing larger EVs on key routes to cut emissions and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

Route optimization powered by AI and advanced logistics software is another important measure, helping minimize fuel consumption by avoiding congestion, consolidating loads, and expanding hub-and-spoke models alongside direct routes that save diesel.

In addition, companies are increasingly turning to alternative fuels such as biodiesel, hydrogen, and compressed natural gas (CNG), supported by dedicated CNG fleets and upcoming trials with LNG and biodiesel to lower the carbon footprint of long-haul transport.

Collaborative logistics initiatives, where organizations share transportation resources, are also gaining traction to reduce the number of trips and enhance capacity utilization. On the materials side, packaging optimization, such as replacing wooden pallets with plastic foldable large containers (FLCs), is helping reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions per trip.