Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110

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Afflink offers Earth Day tips for distributors and suppliers

In honour of Earth Day, Afflink, a global expert in supply chain management and developer of the free Elevate process, is offering the following suggestions on how distributors and suppliers can become more environmentally responsible.

Most of these suggestions involve the transport and packaging of products. According to Michael Wilson, vice president of marketing for Afflink: "This is usually where distributors can make their most significant contribution in reducing the industry's environmental footprint. With this in mind, he suggests the following:

* Renegotiate Service Level Agreements - the agreements that require suppliers to make smaller deliveries, often driven more by a lack of confidence in the supplier than actual need. Renegotiate SLAs so that deliveries are based on product need, not worry. This cuts costs and energy waste at the same time.

* Avoid 'ready-to-use'. Distributors and suppliers should explain to end-customers that not only are ready-to-use products more costly, but delivering them can increase fuel needs and greenhouse gasses. It is far more environmentally responsible - and cost effective - to purchase chemicals in one and five gallon containers and dilute as needed.

* Review delivery patterns. Reviewing past shipment and delivery history often reveals a lack of delivery coordination and considerable fragmentation. These same reviews often reveal where deliveries can be consolidated, rescheduled and rerouted to help replace multiple smaller shipments with fewer and larger single shipments.

* Turn right or left. Simple as it sounds, some delivery organisations have reduced delivery times and fuel needs dramatically by eliminating left hand turns or in some cases, right hand turns. While this does not work in all situations, consider all options that reduce delivery times and distance travelled, regardless of turns.

* Redesign products. Distributors should work with manufacturers to help them design product packaging to reduce weight, use less packaging material and minimise the amount of space the product requires in the truck.

"But the most important thing is to simply start," adds Michael. "These strategies can take time to implement but once started, they open the door to many more possibilities that can help protect the environment along with reducing costs."

Other useful tips include:

* Reduce product packaging overall
* Avoid shipping water (water is heavy)
* Use recyclable wrapping, boxes, bottles, pallets, etc.
* Use vehicles with good fuel economy
* Do not leave trucks running when not in use
T: 205.344.4185
W: www.afflink.com / www.elevateprocess.com

20th April 2017