According to the research released by DHL, a global express and logistics company, e-commerce is fundamentally changing the sustainability of the supply chain in the United States. A new white paper - "Ecocommerce: How to build a sustainable supply chain in the future through online retail" - believes that the rapid growth of e-commerce has brought direct opportunities to reduce emissions in the supply chain, but also challenges retailers, logistics providers and policy makers to cooperate and innovate to cope with the risks of climate change.

A survey conducted by DHL/Morning Consult on American consumers in May 2021 found that more than half of the respondents (54%) said that their online shopping habits had increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, while the majority (60%) said they were willing to pay more for environmentally friendly products or services. 54% of respondents said that based on their public commitment to environmental sustainability, they have more confidence in a company, and carbon emissions, green energy, waste, alternative fuels and sustainable packaging have been identified as five * important factors contributing to the environment. The survey results reflect the impact of supply chain sustainability on the competitiveness of e-commerce enterprises in the future.

DHL's white paper was produced with the support of the global supply chain, logistics and transportation business department of FINN Partners, and incorporated the insights of DHL's executives in the express, supply chain and e-commerce business departments in the United States. It studied the following five parts in detail. From the perspective of sustainable development, the e-commerce supply chain * is exposed - one mile, one mile and one mile in the middle, warehousing, packaging and return. It stressed that the impact may come from three key areas of focus: cleaner energy, more electrification of transport fleets and warehousing business; Improve efficiency with the support of data and technology; And environmental protection materials, especially in packaging. Compared with traditional retail, e-commerce has had a positive impact on the environment in many areas, such as replacing multiple passenger car trips with delivery vehicles for a single round trip, and accelerating investment in green transportation and warehousing technology. In other areas, the potential negative impact of some trends, such as the surge in small warehouses close to customers, is being offset by other impacts, such as the optimization of retail networks and the introduction of greener energy supply and automation equipment. The white paper also covers such areas as aviation, electric vehicle charging infrastructure and packaging, which may require further technological innovation or the support of policy makers to completely eliminate emissions. For example, use delivery vehicles instead of single round trip and multiple passenger car trips, and accelerate investment in green transportation and storage technology. In other areas, the potential negative impact of some trends, such as the surge in small warehouses close to customers, is being offset by other impacts, such as the optimization of retail networks and the introduction of greener energy supply and automation equipment. The white paper also covers such areas as aviation, electric vehicle charging infrastructure and packaging, which may require further technological innovation or the support of policy makers to completely eliminate emissions. For example, use delivery vehicles instead of single round trip and multiple passenger car trips, and accelerate investment in green transportation and storage technology. In other areas, the potential negative impact of some trends, such as the surge in small warehouses close to customers, is being offset by other impacts, such as the optimization of retail networks and the introduction of greener energy supply and automation equipment. The white paper also covers such areas as aviation, electric vehicle charging infrastructure and packaging, which may require further technological innovation or the support of policy makers to completely eliminate emissions. The potential negative impact of some trends, such as the surge in small warehouses close to customers, is being offset by other impacts, such as the optimization of retail networks and the introduction of greener energy supply and automation equipment. The white paper also covers such areas as aviation, electric vehicle charging infrastructure and packaging, which may require further technological innovation or the support of policy makers to completely eliminate emissions. The potential negative impact of some trends, such as the surge in small warehouses close to customers, is being offset by other impacts, such as the optimization of retail networks and the introduction of greener energy supply and automation equipment. The white paper also covers such areas as aviation, electric vehicle charging infrastructure and packaging, which may require further technological innovation or the support of policy makers to completely eliminate emissions.

　　“COVID-19 进一步加速了电子商务的兴起，现在它已成为 DHL Express 国际企业对消费者和企业对企业货运增长的重要推动力，因为我们摆脱了大流行，”DHL Express USA 执行官 Greg Hewitt 说。“与此同时，过去 18 个月也凸显了全球供应链中弹性和可持续性的重要性。我们的电子商务客户已经展示了他们建立创新、性业务的能力，并比消费者的期望一步。这项研究为那些希望在环境问题上引导他们在供应链中集中精力的电子零售商提供了实用的见解。作为致力于实现雄心勃勃的环境目标的物流，

　　“电子商务正在从根本上重塑我们客户的供应链，挑战他们重新设计运输和仓储网络，以满足客户跨多个渠道的需求，应对贸易和库存流动的变化，并对市场做出更快的反应，”Kraig 说。 Foreman，DHL 供应链北美区电子商务总裁。“与此同时，我们 DHL Supply Chain 认为这是一个历史性的机会，可以通过在考虑效率和减少排放的情况下重新设计流程，在各个阶段利用新的、更环保的技术，自下而上地建立更可持续的供应链。订单周期，并在包装和循环经济等领域探索创新理念。”

　　2021 年 3 月，德国邮政敦豪集团公布了新的可持续发展路线图。公司重申其到 2050 年实现交通相关净零排放的雄心勃勃的目标，还承诺投资 70 亿欧元用于绿色解决方案，将其电动汽车车队扩大到全球 80,000 辆，并增加可持续燃料在长途运输中的份额2030. 在美国，DHL Express 于 2020 年在迈阿密启动了电动货运自行车试点，并在其一英里交付业务中继续部署替代和电动车辆，其超过 10% 的车队使用替代燃料来源，包括曼哈顿的 绿色车队。该公司的 DHL 供应链合同物流部门采购其美国仓库所用能源的 来自可再生资源，并引入了绿色解决方案和报告工具，以帮助客户减少其供应链中的碳足迹。DHL eCommerce Solutions 于 2021 年推出了一项新的碳中和 Expedited Max 国内包裹递送服务。其货运代理部门 DHL Global Forwarding 从 2021 年 1 月起对全球所有小于集装箱的海运货物进行了脱碳处理。

　　E-commerce is fundamentally changing approaches to supply chain sustainability in the United States, according to new research published by DHL, the leading global express and logistics company. A new white paper – “ECO-mmerce: How online retail can build the sustainable supply chain of tomorrow” – argues that the rapid growth of e-commerce is bringing immediate opportunities to reduce emissions within the supply chain while also challenging retailers, logistics providers and policy-makers to collaborate and innovate to address the risks of climate change.

　　A DHL / Morning Consult survey of U.S. consumers in May 2021 found that more than half of respondents (54%) indicated their online shopping habits increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, while the majority (60%) said they are willing to pay more for environmentally friendly products or services. 54% stated they put more trust in a company based on public commitments to environmental sustainability with carbon emissions, green energy, waste, alternative fuels and sustainable packaging identified as the five most important factors in helping the environment. The survey results reflect the influential role that supply chain sustainability will play in the competitiveness of e-commerce businesses in the future.

　　DHL’s white paper, produced with the support of FINN Partners’ Global Supply Chain, Logistics & Transportation Practice, and incorporating insights from executives of DHL’s express, supply chain and e-commerce business units in the U.S looked in detail at the five segments of the e-commerce supply chain that are most exposed from a sustainability perspective – the last-mile, first and mid-mile, warehousing, packaging and returns. It highlighted that the greatest impact is likely to be derived from three key areas of focus: cleaner energy, through more electrification of transportation fleets and warehousing operations; increased efficiency, supported by data and technology; and eco-friendly materials, particularly in packaging. E-commerce is already having a net positive impact on the environment compared to traditional retail in a number of areas, such as replacing multiple passenger car trips with single round trips with delivery vans and accelerating investments in greener transport and warehousing technologies. In other areas, the potentially negative impact of some trends, such as a proliferation of smaller warehouses closer to customers, is being offset by other effects such as the optimization of retail networks and the introduction of greener energy supplies and automated equipment. The white paper also addresses areas, such as aviation, electric vehicle charging infrastructure and packaging that will likely require further technological innovation or support from policymakers in order to totally eliminate emissions.

　　“The rise of e-commerce has been further accelerated by COVID-19, and it is now well established as a significant driver of growth for DHL Express in international business-to-consumer and business-to-business shipments as we emerge from the pandemic,” said Greg Hewitt, CEO, DHL Express USA. “At the same time, the last 18 months have also underscored the importance of resilience and sustainability in the global supply chain. Our e-commerce customers have already demonstrated their ability to build innovative, disruptive businesses and to be one step ahead of consumer expectations. This research provides practical insights for those e-tailers that wish to lead on environmental issues on where they should focus their energies within their supply chain. As a logistics leader that has committed to ambitious environmental targets, it also supports our own understanding of how we can best support them on that journey and where our investments in green solutions and technologies, such as electric vehicles, can be most effective.”