Wella and FM Logistic sign collaboration agreement to develop more sustainable logistics

Wella and FM Logistic sign a partnership agreement to develop zero-emission logistics in line with the United Nations SDGs. It is an agreement between two companies that place sustainability and people at the epicenter of their values.

FM Logistic Ibérica manages Wella‘s logistics from its platform and headquarters, located in Illescas (Toledo), awarded as the ‘most environmentally friendly company’ in the past awards of the Toledo Business Federation (FEDETO).

This logistics platform has a standard multi-client corporate design adapted to the most modern European regulations, standing out for being a LEED Gold certified building (Energy Efficiency Certification, eco-efficient and sustainable building).

Soon, a hydrogen production plant will start operating in these facilities. This will make FM Illescas a reference in the logistics sector in Spain. “The forklifts in the warehouse will use hydrogen as fuel, emitting water vapor as the only waste. Our aim is to be even more environmentally responsible,” explains Álvaro Íñiguez, Director of Operations at FM Logistic Illescas.

At the Illescas warehouse, all waste is managed in such a way as to reduce the environmental impact. 100% of the energy used comes from renewable energies. All cardboard used with Wella is recycled or comes from sustainable forests. An example could be the shipping boxes, which used to be filled with plastic bubbles and are now filled with recycled paper so that no plastic is used.

The only thing we use plastic for is strapping, the material used to secure the boxes so that the goods don’t come off or get lost. “We are trying to see how we can use other materials such as resin, and we are using security seals on some new boxes,” explains Cuca Marcellán, Wella’s Iberia supply chain and operations manager. “We can use the seals or stickers on boxes that are not very heavy because otherwise they would not serve their protective function, so we are investigating what extra solution to include,” explains Rafael Pérez, site manager of FM Logistic Illescas.

FM Logistic and Wella use five sizes of cartons for their orders. This way, they match the size of the packages and ship less air and fewer half-empty boxes with a lot of paper waste to compact. With this measure, they manage to make fewer road trips, reduce C02 in the environment and reduce the use of cardboard, strapping and paper. “We have saved up to 45% on cardboard and 40% on filler paper,” says Cuca Marcellán.

“It is very important for Wella to include sustainable messages on the boxes so that the consumer receives a well-prepared order. It also conveys a message such as ‘this box is made of recycled material, recycle me‘,” says Cuca. She also adds: “For us it is very important to make customers aware of the need to recycle and be part of the change.

On the other hand, both companies also agreed to reuse the plastic pallet covers. These are reused when they enter the warehouse and when the goods are transported to the end customer. Finally, Wella has replaced its physical invoices with digital invoices to reduce its paper consumption.

Wella and FM Logistic believe that they can achieve their economic objectives by creating positive impacts. Not only not creating negative impacts but also avoiding the emission of polluting gases for the planet and thus not leaving future generations without natural resources.

“We want to achieve with Wella and all our customers a logistics based on the recycling of materials, waste management and zero plastic, making us totally sustainable,” argues Álvaro Íñiguez.

Similarly, sustainability is a fundamental pillar for Wella. The company wants to be sustainable both in the human factor and in its operations. “We want to be diverse; diversity is extremely important for Wella. There is room for everyone here, regardless of ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc.,” argues Cuca Marcellan. With the products and operations they want to be equally sustainable “taking care of the ingredients of the products and being responsible in logistics to reduce as much as possible our impact on the environment,” explains Cuca.

FM Logistic and Wella have reached a sustainability agreement that goes hand in hand with the SDG goals. “The supply chain is very important. Our goal is to eliminate plastic and reduce the amount of cardboard we use and the CO2 we emit in our shipments,” maintains Cuca Marcellan.

“We feel a moral obligation to gradually improve our logistics and we are very proud that FM Logistic follows our values and advocates sustainability and the elimination of harmful emissions for the planet,” says Cuca Marcellan.