Sustainable Logistics 101: A Guide for Growing Fleets

Sustainable Logistics 101: A Guide for Growing Fleets

Future-Proofing Your Fleet: Sustainable Last-Mile Delivery Strategies That Work

Green sustainable business practices are no longer optional. With regulatory pressures, mounting operational costs, and consumer demand for sustainable delivery options, logistics leaders across the UK and Europe are turning to technology in order to future-proof their fleets.

While the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) is underway, it won’t happen overnight, and they won’t be suitable for all fleet operations. But with the right last-mile delivery software, your fleet can cut emissions, reduce fuel costs today, while also improving customer satisfaction.

At Descartes, we help logistics providers embrace sustainable logistics strategies that deliver measurable environmental and financial results. Here’s how.

What Is Sustainable Logistics?

Sustainable logistics is the practice of reducing the environmental impact of transportation operations without compromising efficiency.

For growing fleets, this means reducing fuel consumption, lowering carbon emissions, improving delivery density, and eliminating wasteful manual processes.

Read our blog – Decarbonising Fleet Operations

This is especially important for urban areas with Clean Air Zones (CAZ) and Ultra-Low Emission Zones (ULEZ) across many cities which are expanding and/or tightening regulations.

Read our blog – delivering into London.

Home delivery companies should also be aware that consumers, particularly those under 35 years of age, now expect sustainable delivery options, 60% of this group are saying they would avoid a retailer whose deliveries are not environmentally friendly.

The challenge is balancing emissions reduction with operational efficiency and selecting the best vehicle for deliveries into clean air zones, using software that will work in the future with electric vehicles and their charging requirements.

How to Create a Greener Transportation Program

The last mile is known to be the most expensive and environmentally intensive part of the delivery journey. In order to achieve greener, more profitable operations, logistics operations should focus on four high-impact strategies:

Each of these can be addressed immediately with intelligent last-mile delivery software.

Optimising Routes

A report in 2023 by the UK Government found that the transport sector is responsible for nearly 29% of all UK greenhouse gas emissions. Route optimisation software will dramatically reduce driven miles by planning more efficient delivery schedules and routes, these are achievable and tailored to your fleet and customer delivery windows.

For example, Wren Kitchens used Descartes routing technology to reduce annual fuel costs by 13% for their kitchen surveyor fleet.

Unlike manual planning, advanced algorithms take into account real traffic data that includes direction and time of travel, customer delivery/appointment windows, vehicle type, goods to be delivered and commercial road restrictions. The Descartes solution can select an electric vehicle for a delivery within a ULEZ or clean air zone, minimising emissions and avoiding non-compliance fees.

Fewer miles driven means lower emissions and lower fuel costs. At the same time, realistic routes mean increased on-time delivery and happier customers.

Decreasing Empty Miles by Improving Delivery Density

Empty running isn’t the only source of inefficiency. A low delivery density will also increase unnecessary mileage and emissions. Descartes software helps fleets improve delivery density by intelligently grouping deliveries that are geographically close together.

The Descartes solution takes into account all orders in the system, not just the next day’s deliveries. This means that an order can be pulled forward from a later date to increase route efficiency and ensure vehicles make the most of every trip. At the point of sale, customers can be incentivised (delivery fee) to select delivery windows that increase delivery density. This approach reduces overall mileage, lowers fuel consumption, and makes better use of driver time. In addition, Descartes software can optimise routes for both deliveries and collections. By planning space allocation in advance, we ensure vehicles always have capacity available before a collection is scheduled, avoiding wasted journeys or return trips.

The result: higher productivity, fewer road miles, reduced emissions, and smarter use of fleet resources.

This level of planning reduces empty miles and increases asset utilisation. For example, SIG Plc improved their On-Time-In-Full delivery rates by 15% with Descartes, a direct result of better routing and reduced delivery duplication.

Cutting Down on Idling and Depot Time

Idle time drains fuel and adds to CO2 output. Every minute a vehicle is unnecessarily running its engine is wasting money and polluting the environment.

With Descartes route optimisation, deliveries are timed precisely to reduce dwell time. Notifications can be sent to customers ahead of time helping to ensure they’re ready to receive the delivery, reducing time spent waiting to be unloaded or hand over a delivery. This improves first-time delivery rates and minimises failed deliveries that require costly redeliveries.

ArrowXL, a two-person home delivery specialist, is reducing their CO2 emissions with improved route planning and reducing vehicle idle times with Descartes.

Reducing Manual Paper Processes

Paperwork not only slows down operations, it contributes to waste. Descartes electronic proof of delivery (ePOD) eliminates paper forms and printers, reduces manual data entry errors, and provides real-time visibility across the delivery chain.

By digitising delivery confirmation, you improve cashflow through faster invoicing, enhance inventory accuracy, and empower customer service teams to respond in real time to delays or disputes.

Scott Parnell builders merchants introduced Descartes electronic proof of delivery and are saving 1000 sheets of paper daily, while saving 16.5 hours of staffing time per day and providing a more efficient customer service. This adds up to massive sustainability and cost gains across thousands of deliveries.

The Intelligent Choice for Sustainable Logistics

Sustainable logistics doesn’t require an overnight fleet overhaul. It requires intelligent action, starting now. With Descartes, you can immediately:

While sustainability can seem like a challenge, it’s also an opportunity to improve customer experience and reduce the operating costs of your fleet. Let’s work together to make your fleet cleaner, more efficient, and ready for the greener future.