Sustainability at DELIVER Europe

This year we were proud to host DELIVER Europe’s roundtable discussion on lower-emission logistics in the Sustainability Lounge.

A transparent, measurable, and collaborative approach to lowering emissions is key to our sustainability strategy. This year’s roundtable at DELIVER Europe put this into practice with an insightful discussion with Wild (refillable bathroom products) and AllChief (ESG consultancy) about making your sustainability goals a reality.

DELIVER is an invitation-only event which connects supply chain, logistics, and commerce decision-makers. In 2024, Spring GDS received the DELIVER Sustainability Award for our HVO100 ‘Out the Tank’ solution.

With its impressive track record of putting sustainability topics at the top of the agenda, DELIVER was the perfect event for us to have a presence at. At Spring GDS, our sustainability strategy has matured from individual actions to a structured decarbonisation roadmap.

Opportunities like DELIVER, which bring together key decision-makers and innovators in logistics, are essential to our ambition to help the sector reduce emissions and move towards more sustainable operations.

The event was chaired by Tatum Bross, ESG Project Manager at Spring GDS. Tatum is a core part of the ESG team at Spring GDS and has led a number of projects including the recent Book & Claim Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) solution, and Spring GDS’s first Impact Report.

Charlotte Whittle, Senior Operations Manager at Wild, a leading refillable bathroom products brand.

Charlotte’s expertise is in bringing together your brand’s sustainability ambitions with operational reality. What do lower-emission choices look like when you are scaling a circular product model?

Inge Tanke, Co-owner at AllChiefs, a sustainable logistics consultancy.

Inge brought the outside perspective into view. AllChiefs analyse what is working across the market, and what it takes for businesses to turn sustainability goals into operational decisions.

Thijs Boel, Managing Director, Spring GDS Europe. Representing us, Thijs provided the logistics operator perspective. How can collaboration across the value chain transform sustainability goals into measurable progress?

The roundtable panel offered an enriching variety of perspectives on reducing emissions from cross-border logistics, and the spread of responsibility between brands, suppliers, carriers, regulators and consumers to drive change.

Read on for a digest of the panel’s answers to some of the most pressing questions and challenges in this rapidly evolving area.

Inge: In two main areas. Firstly, within a company, asking: how do you really plan to reach your NetZero goals? Raw materials and end of line emission categories are generally prioritised. Logistics is more difficult. For example: switching to biofuels and electrification can be hard. It’s expensive, and a lot of parties need to work together.

Secondly: around data quality. Data insights inform operational decisions for logistics providers, and retailers should also have clearer requisites to collaborate effectively.

Thijs: For e-commerce logistics we already have solutions in place to reduce emissions from road transport. For us, the most difficult transport mode to decarbonise at the moment is air freight, as the technical solutions are not there yet to do it fully sustainably.

Charlotte: Good options for us may not be the same options for the carriers we work with. We would like to choose more sustainable options, but many times we can get lost around what carriers are  actually doing. We also don't talk about this topic enough in last mile deliveries.

Thijs: It's not one single party. You cannot let yourself be moved only by regulators or only by customers - all parties need to see the value in sustainability and take ownership of it. One approach you can take is to reframe sustainability as having additional value. For instance, investing in sustainability creates value through employee engagement, leaner operations, or a higher NPS.

Charlotte: As a brand, we lean on the expertise of the logistics providers, as we don't have this expertise internally.

Inge: I would say the brands. Of course, all parties have responsibility. Logistics has thin margins, so brands can support by taking the lead and selecting carriers based on sustainability. If you select carriers on cost alone, it becomes difficult to push towards more sustainable logistics.

Inge: Solutions like Book & Claim for SAF makes it very flexible to share the costs and decarbonise in a collaborative way. It becomes sort of an accounting game where brands and logistics providers can work together and make a real positive impact.

Thijs: We’ve already introduced solutions across the value chain, for instance the reusable pallet boxes to reduce waste and optimise space on trucks, and injecting biofuels into the diesel road network. We are an asset-light company, so even if biofuels don’t go directly into our trucks, we can influence the network towards more sustainable operations.

Charlotte: Circular business practice, for example our product tubes are compostable, and we use recycled packages. For very sale we make, we also plant a tree to offset emissions.

For Thijs: How do you engage with partners if you don't own a fleet?

Thijs: We procure, so we make conscious choices about who we work with. We talk to our partners and show the value of sustainable initiatives. For example, regarding the reusable pallets instead of single-use cardboard or wood boxes: initially, last mile carriers didn't want to have pallets, but they had waste issues. We showed how reusable pallet boxes could resolve this by sending a full pallet and bringing it back empty for reuse, with no waste or additional costs on their side.

For Charlotte: How do you create demand for your packages and how do you see competitors copying?

Charlotte: We have a good customer base who are willing to pay more for sustainable products, because customers do care. It's great that competitors are using the concept we pioneered! We would be happy if in 3 years, refillable products are the default.

Inge: Take a proper look at your options and evaluate the different cost levels for you. Take full cognisance of your logistical footprint, analyse your data, and prioritise your reduction levers. There are numerous operational adjustments that are cost-neutral or even cost-effective. Do not let the expensive options paralyse your initial progress.

Charlotte: Remember that we are all consumers in our personal lives. Make conscious lifestyle adjustments, ask tough questions of the brands you purchase from, and use your purchasing power to drive green demand all the way up the supply chain.

Thijs: See the value, not just the cost. Acknowledge the additional benefits that sustainability brings, instead of just a regulatory obligation or compliance task. Don't make it too big: start small, and then you will see the advantages. Furthermore: data proves that sustainable front-runners were far less vulnerable to recent geopolitical energy crises and global fuel shocks. Take control of your strategy before upcoming regulations take control of you.