UN advisory group publishes report on sustainable logistics

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s high-level advisory group, which includes a Deutsche Post DHL Group member, has published a new report on sustainability in transport and logistics.

Executive vice president and head of corporate communications and responsibility at DHL, Prof Dr Christof Ehrhart, said that minimising unnecessary transport and putting together a better combination of transport were some of the key recommendations from the report – adding that balance, and a holistic approach, were identified as necessary for sustainable logistics in the report.

The publication, ‘Mobilizing Sustainable Transport for Development,’ concludes a two-year working phase.

Ehrhart also said that businesses were feeling the impact of “ever-more congested” urban spaces, where the need for logistics is increasing. The report found that avoiding unnecessary inner-city freight movements is first priority.

Ehrhart gave the example of DHL’s Packstation service in Germany; drop off points in public places i.e. shopping centres and train stations, as a way to alleviate congestion caused by logistics. Germany has over 3,000 Packstations across its cities, with more than eight million returning customers

DHL is represented in the advisory group by its CEO Frank Appel. Other advisory group members include Martin Lundstedt, chief executive officer of the Volvo Group, Sweden, Jean-Pierre Loubinoux director general, International Union of Railways, Paris, and Morten Engelstoft CEO APM Shipping Services Maersk Group, Copenhagen, Denmark.