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 Japan in the mid-2000s, soaring oil prices were hitting the logistics industry hard: crude oil prices approached $100 per barrel in 2007, gasoline and diesel prices continued to rise, and transportation companies and retailers were suffering from increased costs. At the same time, global warming countermeasures were being discussed internationally, and with the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period (2008-2012) approaching, concrete action was required to reduce CO2 emissions. For the logistics industry, fuel cost reduction and environmental response were back-to-back issues.

Against this backdrop, Yamato Transport and convenience store operators accelerated the introduction of natural gas (CNG) and hybrid vehicles. Yamato replaced 5,600 of its fleet of about 45,000 vehicles with environmentally friendly vehicles, mainly in urban areas, and CNG vehicles were expected to reduce CO2 emissions by about 20% and significantly reduce NOx and PM emissions, thereby preventing air pollution.

Meanwhile, FamilyMart has set a plan to use hybrid vehicles for all of its delivery vehicles by 2012. The convenience store industry operates a large number of small delivery vehicles to support its nationwide network of stores, and energy saving was not only a measure to combat global warming, but also to rationalize management by reducing fuel costs.

This trend was also linked to the Green Purchasing Law and measures by the national and local governments to promote the spread of low-emission vehicles. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and other local governments were promoting low-emission certification programs, and the public sector was beginning to introduce CNG buses and hybrid public vehicles. In other words, the logistics industry's efforts were in line with the social trend as a whole, and we were entering an era in which a company's environmental responsiveness was directly linked to its competitiveness and brand value.

The introduction of eco-cars at that time still faced challenges in terms of infrastructure development and high vehicle costs, but they became an inevitable choice for companies under the dual pressures of soaring oil prices and stricter environmental regulations. These attempts laid the foundation for the later spread of electric vehicles and EV delivery networks, and were a precursor to the concept of a sustainable logistics system.