Is the Term Green Logistics an Oxymoron
Introduction
Over recent years there has been increasingly more pressure from the public and the government on organisations to decrease the environmental impact of their logistics operations. The distribution of products impairs air quailty, produces noise and vibration, causes motor vechicle accidents and contributes significantly to global warming through greenhouse gas emmisions. The term ‘green logistics’ describes attempts by organisations to minimise the environmental impact of logistic activities (Rodrigue, Slack and Comtois, 2001). Therefore, green logistics would imply environmentally friendly and efficient transportation and distribution systems. The paradoxes of green logistics make it …show more content…

green logistics).
Fujitsu focused on making logistics more efficient by rationalising distribution centres, reducing transportation distances, promoting modal transportation shifts (see appendix, figure 3), simplifying routes, and reducing the truck fleet (Dukovska-Popovska et al. 2011)In doing this Fujitsu was not only able to reduce costs which highlights the benefits, but was able to reduce Co2 emissions (see appendix figure 2) whilst still completing logistic activities, thus achieving the aim of green logistics, and therefore green logistics is not an oxymoron.
In order to achieve ‘green logistics’ they implemented the concept of green procurement through the ‘Fujitsu Group Green Procurement Standards’ which sum up Fujitsu's views on green logistics and its detailed requests to suppliers. The aim of these standards is to encourage green logistics processes with their suppliers and with the groundwork provided by these standards, strengthen supplier relations and reduce the environmental burden associated with distribution on the supply chain (Dukovska-Popovska et al. 2011) Figure 4 and 5 (see appendix) demonstrate how Fujitsu have implemented principles of reverse logistics in order to achieve green logistics. By reusing and recycling products Fujitsu in not only