Sustainability in building materials distribution doesn’t stop at what you sell — it includes how you store, move, and manage those materials. Sustainable storage and handling practices can reduce emissions, lower waste, improve safety, and qualify your business for green certifications and contracts.
In this post, we’ll show you how to benchmark your operations and use your ERP system to track, optimize, and report on sustainability metrics in storage and material handling.
🏗️ WHAT MAKES STORAGE & HANDLING “SUSTAINABLE”?
Use of energy-efficient lighting and HVAC in warehouses
Implementation of paperless workflows for picking, packing, and receiving
Reduction in packaging waste through reusable bins and pallets
Optimized warehouse layout to reduce forklift travel and emissions
EV or low-emission material handling equipment
Employee safety and training programs
📊 KEY METRICS TO TRACK IN YOUR ERP
- Energy Use Per Square Foot
Monitor usage by location
Compare against baseline or industry standards
Set reduction goals tied to warehouse automation or LED upgrades
- Paper Reduction Progress
Track number of printed vs. digital documents: pick tickets, BOLs, packing slips
Goal: transition to 90% paperless operations using ERP-integrated devices
- Reusable Packaging Usage
Monitor frequency and return rate of crates, bins, or totes
Track repair or retirement cycles to determine ROI
- Travel Distance Reduction
Use ERP heatmaps or slotting tools to move high-turn SKUs closer to docks
Track travel time/fuel use per fulfilled order or per day
🧾 REPORTING DASHBOARDS TO BUILD
Waste diversion summary (lbs of packaging saved/month)
CO₂ emissions reduction from electric lift trucks or optimized routes
Labor efficiency gains from process digitization
Inventory movement efficiency by zone
These can be used for internal KPI tracking, ESG reports, or client-facing sustainability summaries.
🏁 FINAL THOUGHTS
Sustainable handling is about more than optics — it’s about performance. When managed through your ERP, green storage practices deliver both operational savings and strategic positioning in a fast-changing marketplace.
📞 Need help building efficiency dashboards, digitizing warehouse tasks, or tagging reusable packaging workflows in your ERP? Let’s clean up your backend — sustainably.
