Sea Freight Shipping Is Good For the Environment and Good for Business
Cargo shipping options depend on the origin, the destination, the time available for shipping, and the cost of shipping. For example, international freight shipping from Miami to the Dominican Republic could be undertaken by air freight shipping to the Dominican Republic or sea freight shipping to the Dominican Republic. Since both options are available, the decision traditionally rested on other considerations, such as the cost of shipping and the time to ship. But businesses have an additional consideration now – the carbon footprint of their shipping choices.
Companies Moving Toward Eco-friendly Choices
In a 2017 survey, almost 1,700 companies, including 100 companies on the Fortune 500 Global list, disclosed that they planned to account for the price associated with carbon emissions in their decision-making by 2019. By accounting for the price of carbon emissions, these businesses hoped to make more eco-friendly business decisions. These are the businesses that would need to understand the impact air and sea freight shipping have on the environment.
Eco-friendly Air and Sea Freight Shipping
Both air and ocean cargo shipping have eco-friendly benefits. Air freight shipping is fast and is best suited for lightweight cargo. Technological improvements to increase fuel efficiency and reduce carbon emissions include new airplane designs, lighter airplane materials, more efficient engines, and wider use of alternative jet fuels.
Sea freight shipping is best suited for large quantities or heavy freight. Sea freight shipping is usually the most inexpensive option for shipping. Again, technological improvements such as retrofitting or replacing older engines, improving propeller design, and using alternative fuels such as natural gas, solar, and wind have improved fuel efficiency and reduced carbon emissions.
Eco-friendly Logistics for Air and Sea Freight Shipping
Point-to-point air and ocean shipping can be eco-friendly and business friendly. Point-to-point shipping simply refers to using a single carrier to carry the cargo directly from the origin to the destination. This means that the cargo makes no intermediate stops and the cargo is only handled at the origin and destination ports. Consequently, point-to-point transportation requires less transportation time due to faster and more effective transportation. Since goods being transported point-to-point do not need to be handled at a connection point, point-to-point transportation is associated with reduced connection time and a lower instance of damaged goods.
Conclusion
There are many options for air and sea freight shipping. No matter the type of cargo, there is an option that is both friendly to the environment and the shipper’s bottom line.
