Green Warehousing

This thesis proposal focuses on how green warehousing can help businesses to enhance efficient use of energy in warehouses, improve waste management and sustainable production and use of green energy through suitable and customized designs of storage facilities and processes. For effective inbound and outbound logistics, internal warehousing is essential to facilitate storage of goods and other inventory management activities before delivering products to customers (Ingram, 2015). Ecological considerations require green warehousing for a sustainable supply chain management (Chand, 2015). The concept entails environmental sensitiveness through product designs, sourcing appropriate materials and use of energy efficient manufacturing processes. Delivering final products to customers and effectively managing the end-of-life of products are also part of green warehousing (Scrivastava, 2007, p.55).

According to Baker and Merchant (2005, p.194), green warehousing involves approaches that aim at minimizing the environmental impacts of warehousing to a level that a single firm or manager in charge can responsibly take. The aim of energy efficiency focuses on restraining and managing a business’s energy consumption. A firm is said to be energy efficient if it can deliver more services using the same input of energy or more services using less energy input (Emmet and Sood, 2010). As part of efforts to strengthen its corporate social responsibility, a firm should also focus on how to reduce the negative effects of its products to the environment. Formulating ways to collect and dispose waste products are critical to enhancing a green supply chain. A green warehousing strategy is critical as it earns a firm a green reputation, facilitate cost saving and efficiency as well as enable the company to comply with relevant corporate regulations and laws.

References

Baker, P. & Marchant, C. (2015). Reducing the environmental impact of warehousing. In Green Logistics: Improving the environmental sustainability of logistics. McKinnon, A., Browne, M., Piecyk, M. & Whiteing, A, pp 194-226. 3rd ed. Kogan Page Limited. London.

Chand, S. (2015). Warehousing: Function, Benefits and Types of Warehousing. Yourarti-clelibrary. Retrieved from http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/marketing/marketing- management/warehousing-function-benefits-and-types-of-warehousing/27952/ Accessed: 1 September 2018.

Emmet, S & Sood, V. (2010). Benefits of Green Supply Chain. Global Supply Chain Group. Retrieved from http://globalscgroup.com/benefits-of-green-supply-chain Accessed: 1 September 2018.

Ingram, D. (2015). Outbound Vs. Inbound Logistics. Small Business. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/outbound-vs-inbound-logistics-77016.html Accessed1 September 2018.

Srivastava, S. (2007). Green Supply Chain Management: A state-of-the-art literature re-view. International Journal of Management Reviews 2007.