Developing green logistics system in Vietnam

Figure 1 below introduce a helpful outline for the idea. It provides basic combination of a green logistics system with participation for enterprises in a green supply chain, infrastructure system and necessary connections in programs and projects of green logistics. It requires presentation of the State’s management agencies and ministries, and sectors related to green logistics activities in the society.

The green logistics system develops in an environment symbiotic relation, including green management, green supply chain with green supply, green production, green retail and green consumption in coordination in a green logistics infrastructure with 3 subsystems of green logistics information system, green logistics system and green integrated transport system.

Figure 1. Green logistics system model of economy (Source ZHANG Yingjing, LIU Juanjuan)

Green logistics system

This is a basis to implement the green logistics system. The green supply chain creates green environment for sustainable development, paving ways, supporting and promoting green logistics services. The green supply chains form collecting centers to handle products taking
back from downstream members as consumers, retailers and distributors for recycling and restoring necessary values to create a circling logistics systems. Logistics system for a green supply chains should have 3 levels: (1) enterprises in the supply chain with logistics measurements of green standards; (2) creating an inter-enterprises and green supply network basis; (3) Connecting the circling supply chain with reserve logistics activities and improving feedback mechanism (figure 2).

Figure 2: Green supply chain and green logistics system

Green logistics information system

Green logistics information system can provides the green logistics system’s members a real-time information and a precise monitor on product packaging, storage, transportation, distribution processing, loading and handling… in order to comply with the requirements of environment and with facilitate the implementation of environmental logistics decision-making. Green logistics information system includes:

» Green packaging control system: Promoting production departments using as simple as possible and biodegradable material to produce package. Rationalization of packaging with the combination of other green system evaluation indicators to monitor and control enterprises’ product packaging.

» Green transport control system: Evaluating activities causing goods damaged during transport and environmental pollution through the green transport control system

» Green warehouse control system: Monitoring any non-green element in warehouses

» Green process control system: Monitoring productions from product places to final consumption places according to the need of implementing packaging, segmentation, measurement, assembly, affixing price label, affixing brand label, commodity inspection

» Green load and unload control systems: Controlling activities which occurred in the transportation, storage, packaging or carrying of goods…

» Green logistics evaluation system: Including four aspects: the environmental performance logistics system, resource performance logistics system, economic performance logistics system, technical performance of logistics system.

» System: for establishing various models of green logistics to give the members involved logistics the optimized decision-making and choice.

Integrated green transport system

Green transport system is mainly in order to reduce traffic congestion, reduce pollution, promote social harmony and save the transport costs. In market economy society, various modes of transport through a competitive provide quality transport service for national economy and people’s everyday living. However, excessive competition between modes of transport will bring a huge waste of transport resources, such as duplication and waste of resources… Therefore, establishment of an integrated system of green logistics infrastructure is the basis system for the entire green logistics system. We must focus on three factors.

» Constructing an integrated transport hub is a backbone in connecting road network and an intercity transport corridor, so it has a direct impact on overall efficiency of transport system.

» Taking full advantages of various means of transport: when facing the choice of different transport means, we should take full comparative advantages of water such as transporting large freight volume, low energy consumption, small pollution. It should be considered one of main transport and distribution systems for key routes.

» Strengthening coordination of various means of transport and establishing environment-friendly integrated system. Adjusting the structures of integrated transport network under the principle of saving resources and establishing an environmentalfriendly transport system in accordance with the principle of local conditions to optimize allocation of transport resources and achieve efficiency in integrated green transport system.

System of operating and supervising green logistics

The implementation of green logistics is not only a matter of a company, but also must from the perspective of government to build a framework for green logistics management system to restrain the behavior of enterprises. Normally governmental green logistics management includes:

» According to air pollution control act to regulate the emissions of waste and NO2 emission amount to restrict the types of vehicle on the road. Encouraging enterprises to select eligible and noise-controlled vehicles

» Guding the rationalize using of different transport means and encouraging enterprises to select the appropriate mode of transport.

» Imposing taxes and administrative policies to improve the efficiency of company in the logistics and the pollution.

» Improving the cooperation efficiency among supply chain enterprises, besides construction of logistics center, which will help to reduce pollution and cut costs.

» Being responsible for the construction of roads and modernizing traffic control system.

» Developing rules to control traffic activities, road parking activities and controlling traffic flows…

Consumers have their own requirements for green productions, Green requirements is due to inherent human physiological mechanism towards natural environment and ecology dependence. The consumer’s green consumption patterns promote company implementation of environmental green logistics management. Consumer behavior by consumers through the green requirement force enterprises to self-logistics management; and consumers demanded the Government to formulate green logistics management rule through the public voice of green consumption.

It is time we had to look at particular measurements to develop green logistics as an overall strategy of an economy. If we cannot encourage all resources of related sides in an integrated logistics system, green logistics innovations will eventually come to nothing and have to face with challenges of fees in each enterprises’ investments. When it is developed in system, green logistics use supply chains as logistics sector does, which creates efficiency in green logistics investments. On the other hand, roles of the Government in management, in supervising regulations and developing green logistics is an indispensable driving force for having feasible and comprehensive solutions.