Paving the way for environmental logistics - introduction of eco-cars and soaring oil prices, around 2007

Paving the way for environmental logistics - introduction of eco-cars and soaring oil prices, around 2007

In the mid-2000s, Japan's logistics industry faced the dual pressures of rapidly rising oil prices and global warming countermeasures. 2007 saw crude oil prices approaching $100 per barrel, putting pressure on business operations due to fuel costs, while the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol was just around the corner, and CO2 emissions reduction was a social requirement. Against this backdrop, Yamato Transport converted 5,600 of its fleet of about 45,000 vehicles to natural gas vehicles and hybrid vehicles, and promoted the introduction of low-emission vehicles mainly in urban areas. This is said to be effective in both reducing greenhouse gas emissions and preventing air pollution. Meanwhile, FamilyMart has announced a plan to convert all of its delivery vehicles to hybrid vehicles by 2012, in an attempt to shift the logistics that support its nationwide network of stores to environmentally friendly vehicles. These attempts were linked to national and local gove
rnment measures to promote low-emission vehicles and the Green Purchasing Law, and showed how the logistics industry could play a role in the environmental policies of society as a whole. At the time, infrastructure development and vehicle pricing remained an issue, but against the backdrop of soaring oil prices and stricter environmental regulations, it was an inevitable choice for the company and a pioneering effort that laid the foundation for the electric vehicle and EV delivery networks that were to follow.