Logistics Manager’s Michelle Mooney caught up with Lewe Goldmann, Supply Chain & Operations Director at Cloud Nine about what he will be discussing on the day of the conference which takes place on 10th May.
-Can you explain to our readers what you will be discussing on the day?
“I will give an overview of Net Zero, how this differs from Carbon Neutral and highlight some strategies to achieve the former.”
-How do you feel about sustainability?
“It becomes one of the most important aspects of a company culture and how a company needs to operate. We all have a part to play in it.”
-What makes acting now so essential?
“There is no silver bullet to become sustainable as a company/country/planet, so we need to make a huge number of small adjustments and the longer we wait to take action, the more drastic the actions will have to become.”
-A circular economy; is it possible in this current political climate?
“Yes, absolutely, there is no excuse for it. Policies which are supportive even start to demand a more modular design of products to enable repair, such as the EU directive being drafted which demands companies to hold suitable spare parts to allow consumers to repair products themselves.”
-What are some ways companies can reduce their emissions?
“There are some obvious answers, such as renewable energy and simply avoiding emissions by avoiding journeys/processes which emit emissions. However, process engineering is a great example that might not be thought of initially. You make a process as efficient as possible through the eye of sustainability, and this will reduce emissions, as well as also very likely providing a financial saving.”
-How can we improve sustainability initiatives in the future so that companies don’t just end up green washing?
“I think the aim should be a unified, controlled standard that allows companies who do the right thing to be branded with this standard and it becomes recognisable to consumers and stakeholders.”
-How are last mile logistics operations changing?
“Again the obvious answer is renewable energy – but also process efficiency plays a huge part in the change of last mile logistics, as the key is to increase drop size and first delivery success. Examples are out of home delivery and bundled deliveries such as choosing ‘Amazon Day’ for deliveries.”
-What do you think is the best thing companies can do to reduce their emissions?
“Process efficiency engineering as this will gain financial benefits as well as sustainability benefits, so it’s a win win situation which then allows further investment.”
