Note: 25 grams of CO₂ were expelled during the production of this editorial.

I may be just a bag of gas to some readers, but at least I can determine the size of my carbon footprint. That calculation is getting to be a hot topic. Now, I don’t know if I’m spewing that exact amount of CO₂ into the atmosphere as I write this, but it sure feels like it.

That’s beside the point. The real point I want to make is, materials handlers may want to start calculating their carbon footprint because they might eventually be asked for it. I read recently that carbon labels are starting to appear on consumer products in the UK. We can thank The Carbon Trust for this. It’s an organization that helps business and the public sector cut carbon emissions.

Apparently some 50 companies have already approached The Carbon Trust about marking packaging with the carbon footprint their products leave. That’s right, some day, next to the calorie and cholesterol count on your box of doughnuts, will be the amount of CO₂ that was spent during production. That could include materials handling throughout the supply chain.

How significant a portion of your company’s footprint does materials handling represent? That calculation could some day be plastered all over a grocer’s bakery aisle—or whatever consumer interface your product enjoys—for all to see. Maybe that’s how materials handlers will finally get the attention they so richly deserve: by showing how green they are!

This isn’t an April Fool’s column. It’s October, and I’m dead serious (in honor of Halloween). But forget the environmentalist’s idea of green and consider the greedy’s idea of green. Following that school of thought, there are still plenty of advantages to lowering your environmental shoe size. Consider:

• The Railroad Commission of Texas administers a program that rewards users who replace old (pre-2007) diesel, gasoline or propane lift trucks with new propane models. The average paid per vehicle replacement is about $8,500. It’s restricted to lift trucks in Texas, but…
• Lift trucks using propane anywhere in the U.S. are eligible for a 50-cent-per-gallon federal motor fuel tax credit. To claim the credit you must file IRS Form 637. Once approved, the IRS will issue a 637 number with “AL” at the end, indicating IRS authorization to file as an alternative fueler. And, going beyond lift trucks…
• RedPrairie, a supply chain software provider, has become a member of the EPA’s SmartWay Transport Partnership, whose purpose is to promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and improve transportation flows. Eventually, more software providers are bound to follow suit and play a major role in synchronizing people and products in the supply chain. Not only will this minimize their collective carbon footprint, but it will have a major effect on logistics costs.

Start downsizing your big foot now. Read Bob Trebilcock’s article on lift truck fleet management. You’ll learn about software systems that will help you manage and monitor your fleets—and the batteries used in them. I’m reaching my carbon output limit. Now go think green—in every sense of the word.