Must Warehousing Really Cost The Earth?

Changing consumer behavior has meant skyrocketing demand for logistics real estate and warehousing. But given the environmental impact of traditional warehouses, how can businesses source the space they need while meeting their sustainability aspirations?

Drive along any major highway in a developed country and you will likely see at least one in the distance by the side of the road: a huge, windowless, box-like building with trucks parked outside. The only indication of the building’s purpose is the logo of a logistics company on the side.

Warehouses – or to use the more 21st century term, distribution centers – and the land they occupy were in hot demand even before COVID-19 hit. Now, the impact of the pandemic has accelerated a permanent shift from bricks and mortar shopping to e-commerce by an estimated five years. Look no further than the food supply chain for proof: In the UK, for example, online grocery sales more than doubled in a year (from £681m to £1.44bn).