In this post, we are going to talk about how the pandemic has brought up important issues regarding corporate sustainability, how consumers have become more demanding regarding the socio-environmental measures implemented by companies, and how logistics can contribute to a positive socio-environmental impact.
Corporate sustainability has been identified as one of the focuses of companies in the post-pandemic scenario. No wonder that 85% of Brazilians believe that protecting the environment should be a government priority in the country's post-pandemic recovery plan, and that the BRICS bank announced US$1 billion financing to the Brazilian government to support social programs to combat COVID-19.
Before the pandemic reached the country, sustainability was seen as one of the trends for 2020. A study published by IBM in January it already indicated that consumers were willing to pay 35% more for sustainable and transparent products. However, with the arrival of the COVID-19 crisis, investments in sustainability were left aside.
The coronavirus crisis has given rise to several socio-environmental problems that can be observed around the world. The different levels of difficulty in coping with the virus are directly linked to the alarming social inequalities. On the other hand, during the social isolation practiced by most companies, and the consequent decrease in the number of vehicles on the streets, it was possible to observe a greater balance of natural ecosystems. Both examples make it clear that the way we are acting, in normal times, is unsustainable.
Another consequence of the coronavirus crisis was the increase in the amount of household and hospital waste generated in the country. According to Abrelpe (Brazilian Association of Public Cleaning and Special Waste Companies), social isolation measures should represent an increase of 15% to 25% in the production of solid waste (organic and recyclable waste) in homes, while for waste hospital estimated a growth of 10 to 20 times. The increase in household waste is influenced in part by the increase in online shopping and, consequently, by the increase in the number of packages that come with these products. In addition, selective collection, which is one of the main methods of preventing the waste generated from having worse consequences for the environment, had its services paralyzed during the pandemic in several cities due to the risk of contamination of employees by COVID-19 when handle the garbage.
With this scenario in mind, it is extremely important for companies to use as little packaging as possible for their products and to use recyclable materials for their packaging.
For the post-pandemic moment, it will be important for companies to invest in reverse logistics to reduce the environmental impacts caused by their products and packaging. The implementation of reverse logistics is already mandatory for a number of manufacturers, importers, distributors and traders, such as those in the pesticides and electronics sectors, but it is important that even companies that are not required by law to practice it also invest in this practice.
Reverse logistics is a solution for reducing pollution, encouraging recycling, reducing the exploitation of virgin raw materials (since the collected products can often be reused as raw materials by their own chains or by another chain), reducing CO2 emission, etc. In addition to all these positive environmental impacts that this practice promotes, reverse logistics also brings social advantages, since when implemented by systems that work with cooperatives, it contributes to professionalization, increased income and promotes better living conditions for material collectors recyclable. Finally, in addition to the environmental and social advantages, this practice also contributes to improving the company's image in the market, representing a competitive differential and, consequently, attracting consumers who are increasingly concerned about socio-environmental issues.
There are several other practices that can make your company's logistics more sustainable, such as optimizing the routing of cargo transport, using solar energy for warehouses, hiring local labor, modernizing the fleet, etc. Many of these measures, in addition to being sustainable, also promote the reduction of logistics costs in the short or long term, that is, in addition to representing a competitive advantage, they also contribute to an increase in the company's profit margin.
The world is changing, and customers are increasingly committed to protecting the environment and reducing social inequalities, and they expect the same engagement from the companies they consume. Therefore, it is extremely important for your company to start investing in more sustainable practices in order to have a positive impact on the world and also to not lose relevance in the market. Don't stay out of this change!
References:
– Estadão – Banco do Brics chooses sustainability as the focus of investments in the post-pandemic
- Newspaper - Coronavirus challenges sustainability with greater accumulation of household and hospital waste
– IBM – IBM Study: Consumers will pay an average of 35% more for sustainable and transparently sourced products in 2020
– Ipsos – For 85% of Brazilians, protecting the environment should be a priority in the post-pandemic recovery
– POLLEN – Corporate sustainability: the big post-COVID trend
