Do you want to reduce your organization’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions? Perhaps you are simply interested in reducing your fuel usage to improve your bottom line. Either way, good supply chain practices make smart business sense. And enterprise resource planning (ERP) software can help you achieve your goals, whether your mission is to go green or keep the green flow to your bottom line.

ERP software is the technology of choice for millions of organizations interested in optimizing their processes to improve efficiency and profitability. Along the way, companies are realizing that ERP features can help achieve green goals like reducing CO2 emissions and landfill waste.

Good ERP distribution solutions are naturally “green” because they are designed to streamline business processes that start on the supplier floor and end with delivery of the order to the customer. In between those two points, some of the best ERP solutions help dealers burn less fuel and the dollars that go with it.

Some ERP solutions offer sophisticated shipping and containerization features that allow distributors to combine purchase orders for more efficient load planning. Other features include storage tools to help employees use less landfill-clogging packaging materials and fewer boxes to ship orders. Even more features contained in the Retail Fulfillment Modules help streamline data exchange, including Advanced Shipping Notices (ASNs), via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and warehouse processes via wireless and wireless devices. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), to improve business accuracy and reduce the need for traditional paper documents.

And then there are the sales. Consumers are increasing their demand for green products and retailers are starting to follow the trend. Deciding to take a position ahead of the curve, rather than playing catch-up, could lead to higher sales and higher profits.

Ready to learn more? Follow these five steps to sustainable ERP success and create your own green legacy:

1. Use DRP to reduce fuel costs and CO2 emissions

The most efficient fuel strategies start with excellent forecasting and planning tools that enable distributors to optimize purchase orders for full container shipments. Without flexible vessel management tools, shippers pay a high price for shipping LLCs. Better demand planning that incorporates real-time visibility into point-of-sale (POS) data also saves fuel. This is because flexible organizations can react faster to changing demand and better plan the optimal shipment of goods. The more agile your supply chain and the more integrated and sophisticated your DRP, the less likely you are to be affected by rush orders and costly air freight rates. Other fuel saving strategies start with smart route management solutions for optimal delivery of goods to retail trading partners. ERP solutions that can create more efficient route schedules experience better fuel economy and driver efficiency.

2. Follow the paper trail to green success

Reducing your organization’s reliance on paper is good for the environment. Paper-centric organizations are also less efficient, more error-prone, and have slower decision-making cycles. Good ERP software minimizes traditional paper trails and drives better cross-functional visibility to improve decision making at all organizational levels. ERP solutions can eliminate the need for paper reports, sales orders, purchase orders, picking lists, invoices, shipping and confirmation notices, and other business documents. Paperless business is less expensive, more efficient, and gives everyone the ability to access all the information they need with the click of a mouse.

3. Take advantage of green warehouse features to reduce packaging waste and improve worker productivity

Some ERP solutions allow workers to combine orders during a pre-packing process which helps employees literally build a better case. Dynamic ERP software analyzes product dimensions against available carton sizes and then instructs employees on the most efficient packaging method. Pre-cartoning takes the guesswork out of picking and packing to improve employee efficiency, reduce the amount of landfill-clogging materials that end up as waste, reduce the number of boxes used, and reduce shipping costs.

4. Use ERP to reduce retailers’ chargebacks and their carbon footprint

Retailer compliance issues are painful enough for employees and their bottom line. But chargebacks leave a legacy of a different kind: a higher carbon footprint due to product returns and reshipments, and a red footprint on your P&L. The right ERP solution can help you manage complex retail compliance issues. When you use ERP to automate fulfillment processes, you minimize unnecessary chargebacks while enabling chargeback capture, validation, dispute, and recovery to reduce lost bottom line. Adding Wireless Warehouse EDI and RFID to your ERP system gives you a fully automated, paperless process that improves accuracy, productivity, and the bottom line.

5. Use ERP to improve reporting capabilities, drive intelligence, and reduce paper waste

ERP software enables dealers to integrate data across the enterprise, producing detailed reports for better business intelligence and decision making. The best ERP solutions give dealers easy-to-use tools and deep database mining capabilities to produce, store, and retrieve business information when and how they need it. Reliable reporting features also eliminate the need to print paper reports and palletize and store reams of hard copies, further reducing costs and minimizing paper waste.

In short, successful ERP implementation is good for the environment, good for business, and good for the bottom line. Greening your supply chain through ERP can optimize your efficiency, position your business for future growth, and save you money.