Logistics is a term that has been in use in the past few years to describe the transport and handling of goods as they move from raw sources to the production system to the consumption stage. Even though the core activities have been important to economic and social growth for millennia, it is only in the past five decades that Logistics has been regarded as a key determinant of the performance of various businesses. Moreover, it is also an important area of study. During the five decades, the major area for logistics managers has been commercial. The prime objective has been organizing logistics in a way that would maximize Profits. In the UK, calculations have also involved profitability, wider environmental sustainability and the balance of losses.
The UK’s hospitality industry has one major opportunity in the basic recognition of how sustainability can actually be beneficial. In most cases, projects are started with the sole purpose of reducing costs. While there might be sustainable advantages, until recently, they have not been acknowledged. The supply chain has continued to be more complex over the past few decades for different reasons. One of the key reasons for the intrinsic relationship between economic development and environmental sustainability is
As the transport network continues to improve in the UK, the hospitality industry has been able to extend its logistical reach in order to provide better and cheaper supplies and sell its products in various not only in the country but also in various parts of the world. At the same time, Hotels are seeking economies of scale and various ways of eliminating costs. As a result, centralization occurs, which in turn increases transportation and distribution. However, over the past few years, the hospitality industry in the UK has not given much focus to the rising greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental issues from its logistics framework.
Logistics is a fundamental part of the basic operations of any organization, and it involves different activities such as freight transport, inventory management, material handling, and all other related processes of processing information. Historically, the primary objective of logistics in the Hotel industry involved coordinating various elements in the most effective manner to meet consumer needs and reduce monetary costs. However, cost reduction also resulted in the reduction of different aspects of environmental impact. In recent years, the cost has begun to change its meaning to include other factors, such as environmental and social issues. Accomplishing numerous objectives is a challenging process because they often conflict with the various objectives, and determining a single performance metric becomes more challenging.
Some organizations in Europe have realized that under the confines of logistics and transportation lie numerous opportunities for sustainable change. According to xxx, “the role of transportation and supply chain in Europe in sustainability involves a number of common practices which include techniques such as energy consumption and vehicular (e.g. route optimization)”.
The Role of Technology
As the supply chain becomes more complex, especially for large European countries, the use of technology to systemize logistics has become more and more common. While this might result in various environmental benefits, a huge number of programs are yet to incorporate environmental impact in their assessment when examining the most appropriate logistics solutions.
Some industries have incorporated programs that take sustainability into consideration. For example, Nestle’s international programs have taken sustainability programs into consideration while distributing its various products, including a detailed analysis of ecological impacts. The process has uncovered various opportunities for sustainable transformation through the entire supply chain. In 2017, the Nestle logistics team earned a new product development. As a result, the team has the ability to influence various factors, such as stackability and cube optimization, thus improving the sustainability of various products and the company overall. The new approach. However, it came with new challenges since marketing and branding teams might not always appreciate the objectives of the logistics team.
Online Retail / E-commerce
Online marketing and sales have been very popular in Europe for the past few years. According to research conducted by IGD, Online marketing of the Hotel industry in the UK will double between 2015 and 2010, reaching approximately $ 14 billion. In France, one in five consumers has reported using online services from various chain hotels as well as grocery stores. In fact, Paris Hotel has 325 pickup locations in France and reported a 70% increase in consumers in the past two years, in which ¾ are likely to gain the advantage over other retailers. Moreover, other hotels in Germany have introduced this option with the addition of drive-through sections.
Between Yyyyy, Yyyyy, and Yyyyy, there are approximately 300 drive-through locations across France. UK hotel xxx started the curbside pickups for a small added charge. According to a report by the xxx, UK click and pick will double its use by 76% by 2017. In Germany, there will be a 5% increase. Nevertheless, the hotel industry still has a lot to do in order to satisfy the growing demand for convenience. Only 15% of the UK to 10 hotels offer more than one convenience option.
Industry Collaboration
Whether this is labelled as sustainable or not, various hotels in Europe are working on more efficient logistics. Such has been initiated by taking the initiative to focus further on results through collaboration among the hotels. The biggest challenge with collaboration is the protection of corporate information, which becomes an even bigger issue when private businesses are involved. However, as proven by some of the leading hotels in Europe, the right path towards collaboration will accomplish greater results. Yyyyy and Yyyyy began coordinating their marketing and deliveries in Western Europe to assist in offsetting the ever-increasing cost of conducting business. Moreover, the two companies realized more benefits as the program enrolled. From consumer satisfaction to increased efficiencies, the two major hotels have long been enjoying the benefits of the ground-breaking relationship by developing a model that many others in the industry should emulate.
Therefore, it can be concluded that the synchro-net project established by the two companies under the Horizon 2020 project has been of great benefit in enhancing logistics in a sustainable manner. The key objective of the project was to redress the supply chain in order to incorporate environmental sustainability. The most fundamental output of the new logistics will be slow steaming and synchro-modal optimization. Such would deliver substantial advantages to all the transport stakeholders. This includes the reduction in emissions for transportation because of a shift to greener modes and optimized strategies that would eventually lead to reduced empty kilometres for trucks and repositioning of movements.
Tweeter Conversations
Social media conversations about environmental sustainability are usually relegated to the too “technical box”, often considered for professionals. However, if society has a chance to face the huge challenges posed by the transportation industry in terms of environmental sustainability, the discussion has to be taken to the mainstream. There have been numerous conversations regarding environmental sustainability in social media. To celebrate the launch of GSB by Water Hub UK, this section will discuss at least three tweeter conversations which try to push discussions on environmental sustainability in an informative manner.
@ Circle of Blue to @WHO
Founded by Scientists and Journalists back in 2,000. The organization offers original data about global environmental and freshwater crises. A tweeter discussion by the ‘circle of blue’ to the WHO focused on how transportation can be enhanced to reduce pollution and bring in overall environmental sustainability. Brett Walton argued, “I understand from personal experience that experiences around transportation, particularly water and air contamination, can transform our behaviour for a long period.”
Giulio Boccaletti to @WHO
The global managing director of nature conservancy and water, a trained expert on economic and environmental sustainability. His argument was that solving the global challenges of environmental degradation, especially in the face of climate change, will be a huge determinant of the future sustainability of public health and regions that heavily rely on natural resources. Giulio has a comprehensive understanding of the intersection of the natural environment, various business conducts and sustainability.
Water.org
Founded by Matt Damon and Gary White, the key objective of the NGO was to provide access to safe waters and sanitation in developing countries. In a conversation with WHO, Matt Damon argues that. one cannot solve poverty without sustainability and solving the water crisis” From the operational point of view, Matt Damon believes that synchro-modality and slow steaming in the transportation industry and becoming more attractive in long-haul shipments and a practical standpoint. Such is due to their ability to reduce operational costs while clearly reducing various environmental externalities.
Research Methods
The keywords and databases were selected based on several combinations, strategies used in previous reviews, and test searches with keywords, databases, and filters. Some of the keywords focused on specific tweeter tools. A qualitative content analysis methodology was utilized to structure the comments. Qualitative analysis is a descriptive research technique which involves the development of a coding framework and coding data.
Certainly, the changes in scale and intensity of the activity levels within the transport system have been and will continue to be a huge problem in achieving sustainable development. Such challenges have gone beyond the operational needs of managing environmental resources. Sustainability needs to involve a wider scope of factors, such as ecological, economic and societal factors. However, there appear to be numerous easy gains that transport businesses should be taking by reviewing lighting, ventilation, and emissions. Such can be accomplished through the use of LPG to counterbalance.
Incentives
Implementing road taxes in various European countries has enhanced a shift of the transport companies focusing much on water transport and the internet through cube optimization. Such has reduced the use of carbon-emitting cars and proper scheduling of product deliveries. However, key factors need to be put into consideration, such as offsetting the increased taxes to the consumers or dealing with community relations if delivery is made during off-peak hours. Within such approaches, the social costs are also something that transportation companies need to
Consider in addition to the environmental cost. Moreover, incentivizing companies to make the necessary adjustments using grant programs would help in improving the rate of CPG for transport companies while implementing sustainable solutions for their transport operations.
Recommendation
It can be important for transportation companies in Europe to have access to software or other technologies that support environmental sustainability. Moreover, it is equally fundamental for new tools and well-designed studies to answer some of the questions regarding sustainability. The discussion presented in this paper offers an overview of the recent trends in the European transport industry in order to uncover some of the previous approaches and how they were used in supply chains and logistics. Part of any organization’s objective should be making sure that transport departments incorporate environmental sustainability into their daily operations. In order to realize the advantages of environmental sustainability strategies. Therefore, they should not be restricted to certain departments but should be incorporated throughout the entire company. The transport industry needs a better understanding of how environmental sustainability can help companies reach their sustainability goals. All companies need to be encouraged to recognize the dedication to sustainability.
Integrating sustainability into performance evaluation is a fundamental way of demonstrating how serious the European transport industry is about making progress in sustainable growth. Therefore this should be a normal part of the situation for all transport companies. Moreover, many companies still ignore the sustainable opportunities within logistics. Such include reducing emissions. Inventory management, among others. For instance, savings in just-in-time replenishment through water transport might exceed the cost of running a truck with only part loaded without taking into consideration environmental issues. Most companies In Europe tend to justify some of their smallest deliveries to important consumers in the hope that it safeguards long-term relationships. Yet, if transportation was planned and properly examined on a regular basis, it would be possible to identify ways of reducing pollution while ensuring consumer satisfaction.
Addressing more important issues and deeper transformations that involve the entire spectrum requires input from regulators. As with other commercial activities, most transportation companies view compliance with environmental regulations as the main motivation for change despite the evidence of positive and negative factors that have emerged from leading operators. International transport companies have been some of the key motivators. However, lack of consistency in measurement and approach makes the process slow to use as the objective measure towards sustainability. Such systems can help to close the historic separation in the form between the roles of transport companies and company managers that have made environmental sustainability an achievable goal.
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