Greening the Supply Chain: A Transition to Renewable Energy in Logistics

To ensure that food is delivered to customers in an efficient manner, the global food supply chain is essential.

- Miss Monami Mahanta & Dr. Ishita Auddy*

Nevertheless, this chain’s conventional logistics technologies are frequently linked to considerable greenhouse gas emissions. Logistics companies are under increasing pressure to switch to renewable energy sources in order to address this environmental issue. As a result of different manufacturing methods, industrial bio waste has become a promising source of sustainable energy (Kee S.H et.al. 2021; Tseng et.al 2019.)

The environmental impact of traditional logistics in food distribution Carbon Emissions across Transportation Modes

Fossil fuels in warehouse and transportation processes contribute to a large carbon footprint, contributing to climate change. Trucks are common in food distribution, shipping transports large cargo across seas, and air freight is the most carbon-intensive. Burning one gallon of diesel fuel produces 22.4 pounds of carbon dioxide. Globally, trucks, ships, and planes emit billions of tons of CO2 annually, contributing to atmospheric and marine pollution (Tseng et.al 2019).

Environmental Impact of Long-Haul Transportation in the Food Industry

The backbone of the world’s food distribution system, long-haul transportation entails transporting items across great distances, frequently across continents. This approach makes a significant contribution to the industry’s overall environmental impact. For example, when perishable commodities are shipped from South America to North America, there are carbon emissions from the long travel as well as the energyintensive process of cooling (Tseng et.al 2019). According to statistics, a sizable amount of the food industry’s carbon footprint is caused by long-distance transportation.

Energy Consumption in Warehousing: