Sustainable supply chain efforts within Nordics, Baltics & UK
5 January 2023
We’re proud to see that within our Nordics, Baltics & UK cluster, there are several initiatives aimed at making our supply chain more sustainable and decreasing our environmental impact.
Sweden – Peter Lilja, Warehouse Manager
“Recently we have implemented a new packaging machine at our warehouse. Previously we picked in “pre-cut standard boxes,” and we used plastic void-fill to fill up the boxes to prevent product damage. For some orders, this box was the perfect fit; however, for a lot of orders, this cardboard box was too big. We used a lot of filling material to prevent product damage caused by excessive movement in the box. Our new packaging machine “reads” the height of the products in the box and then cuts down the boxes to the optimal size. This has multiple advantages: it saves us 30.000 KG of cardboard each year, 75% of our shipments are now free from (plastic) filling material, and we achieved a reduction of 20% in the transportation of unnecessary air, which saves us with 58 000kg CO2 yearly.”
[picture of Peter]
Norway – Hans Segerholm, Supply Chain Manager
“We always sent two line haul trucks daily with our goods. However, we started noticing that not all trucks departing from our warehouse were full, so we tried to consolidate some of our shipments. This resulted in a decrease of one line haul per week. This is a 10% CO2 emission reduction, approximately 13 tons of CO2 annually. In the upcoming year, we plan to focus on reducing the CO2 emission related to our transport and the amount of packaging material we use.”
[picture of Hans]
Denmark – Bibi Lindgaard, Director Supply Chain
“In Denmark, we took several steps to improve the environmental impact of our shipments. For example, we pack shipments as pallets or parcels only when it is not possible to transport shipments in their original cardboard box. In collaboration with our customers, we always strive for optimal filling degrees. Also, the cardboard boxes are cut to optimal size to limit unnecessary transportation of air and the use of filling material. These measures are not only contributing to the reduction of CO2 emissions related to our transport but are also decreasing the amount of packaging material we use. Occasionally, if we need filling material, this is made from recycled cardboard instead of plastic. The cardboard boxes we use consist of 70-100% recycled cardboard. Furthermore, we have opted for packaging tape and shipping labels that do not hinder appropriate waste separation. Through our choice of transportation carrier [ZO1] [SR2] we managed to reduce CO2 emissions by 5% in 2020. In 2020 around 32 percent of their fleet consisted of electric vehicles, primarily electric bicycles, and small cars. In the future, we will continue to focus on reducing CO2 emission related to last-mile transportation.”
[picture Bibi]
Finland – Tuija Jalanko, Supply Chain Planner
“A main polluting factor in our supply chain is our transport, inbound as well as outbound. So, for our inbound transport, we choose carriers that offer the opportunity to compensate for the CO2 emission whenever feasible. We critically selected our transporter for our outbound transport based on its sustainability targets. Our leading transportation partner aims to be CO2 emission-free by 2030. Furthermore, we have initiated activities to increase order consolidation, so we optimize transportation of our products and packaging material consumption.”
[picture of Tuija]
Estonia – Armand Malm, Supply Chain Manage
“We often repacked products from the inbound boxes to smaller outbound boxes. Therefore, we changed the number of products we sell as one order, significantly decreasing our repacking operations. Furthermore, within our warehouse and offices, we do not use any disposables to eat or drink, which saves a lot of waste. Additionally, we recently installed LED lights to save energy. Finally, with some customers, we bring our shipment boxes back to the warehouse to reuse these cardboard boxes”.
[picture of Armand]
United Kingdom – Louise Dunn, Operations Director
“For Mediq to supply NHS organizations in the UK, we must demonstrate due diligence concerning Labor Standards throughout our supply chain. We are accredited to SA8000, which is based on internationally recognized standards of decent work, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ILO conventions, and national laws. All direct suppliers are required to complete a detailed questionnaire on labor standards, subject to a risk assessment that may result in further investigations or actions. In 2022 we will be auditing our direct suppliers and engaging with them on environmental and sustainability topics, which are increasingly important to our major customers.”
[picture of Louise]
Sweden – Peter Lilja, Warehouse Manager
“Recently we have implemented a new packaging machine at our warehouse. Previously we picked in “pre-cut standard boxes,” and we used plastic void-fill to fill up the boxes to prevent product damage. For some orders, this box was the perfect fit; however, for a lot of orders, this cardboard box was too big. We used a lot of filling material to prevent product damage caused by excessive movement in the box. Our new packaging machine “reads” the height of the products in the box and then cuts down the boxes to the optimal size. This has multiple advantages: it saves us 30.000 KG of cardboard each year, 75% of our shipments are now free from (plastic) filling material, and we achieved a reduction of 20% in the transportation of unnecessary air, which saves us with 58 000kg CO2 yearly.”
[picture of Peter]
Norway – Hans Segerholm, Supply Chain Manager
“We always sent two line haul trucks daily with our goods. However, we started noticing that not all trucks departing from our warehouse were full, so we tried to consolidate some of our shipments. This resulted in a decrease of one line haul per week. This is a 10% CO2 emission reduction, approximately 13 tons of CO2 annually. In the upcoming year, we plan to focus on reducing the CO2 emission related to our transport and the amount of packaging material we use.”
[picture of Hans]
Denmark – Bibi Lindgaard, Director Supply Chain
“In Denmark, we took several steps to improve the environmental impact of our shipments. For example, we pack shipments as pallets or parcels only when it is not possible to transport shipments in their original cardboard box. In collaboration with our customers, we always strive for optimal filling degrees. Also, the cardboard boxes are cut to optimal size to limit unnecessary transportation of air and the use of filling material. These measures are not only contributing to the reduction of CO2 emissions related to our transport but are also decreasing the amount of packaging material we use. Occasionally, if we need filling material, this is made from recycled cardboard instead of plastic. The cardboard boxes we use consist of 70-100% recycled cardboard. Furthermore, we have opted for packaging tape and shipping labels that do not hinder appropriate waste separation. Through our choice of transportation carrier [ZO1] [SR2] we managed to reduce CO2 emissions by 5% in 2020. In 2020 around 32 percent of their fleet consisted of electric vehicles, primarily electric bicycles, and small cars. In the future, we will continue to focus on reducing CO2 emission related to last-mile transportation.”
[picture Bibi]
Finland – Tuija Jalanko, Supply Chain Planner
“A main polluting factor in our supply chain is our transport, inbound as well as outbound. So, for our inbound transport, we choose carriers that offer the opportunity to compensate for the CO2 emission whenever feasible. We critically selected our transporter for our outbound transport based on its sustainability targets. Our leading transportation partner aims to be CO2 emission-free by 2030. Furthermore, we have initiated activities to increase order consolidation, so we optimize transportation of our products and packaging material consumption.”
[picture of Tuija]
Estonia – Armand Malm, Supply Chain Manage
“We often repacked products from the inbound boxes to smaller outbound boxes. Therefore, we changed the number of products we sell as one order, significantly decreasing our repacking operations. Furthermore, within our warehouse and offices, we do not use any disposables to eat or drink, which saves a lot of waste. Additionally, we recently installed LED lights to save energy. Finally, with some customers, we bring our shipment boxes back to the warehouse to reuse these cardboard boxes”.
[picture of Armand]
United Kingdom – Louise Dunn, Operations Director
“For Mediq to supply NHS organizations in the UK, we must demonstrate due diligence concerning Labor Standards throughout our supply chain. We are accredited to SA8000, which is based on internationally recognized standards of decent work, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ILO conventions, and national laws. All direct suppliers are required to complete a detailed questionnaire on labor standards, subject to a risk assessment that may result in further investigations or actions. In 2022 we will be auditing our direct suppliers and engaging with them on environmental and sustainability topics, which are increasingly important to our major customers.”
[picture of Louise]