Ingram Micro’s Sustainability Strategy in Action at Eastern Creek Distribution Centre

Ingram Micro’s ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) efforts are central to everything it does. These efforts embody the concept of “responsibility,” which is one of Ingram Micro’s tenets of success. Part of the organisation’s ESG program is the 10 to Zero Initiative, which aims for zero greenhouse gas emissions, zero waste and zero reportable injuries by 2030.

Ingram Micro Australia is dedicated to attaining the goal of sustainability and it has taken several measures across the entire business operation to achieve it.

Sustainability programs implemented at the Eastern Creek Distribution Centre include sourcing renewable energy, harnessing solar power with a 300kW solar array, eliminating plastic from packaging, and partnering with logistics companies that share Ingram Micro’s commitment to sustainability.

Behind Eastern Creek’s operations

The Eastern Creek Distribution Centre is a massive operation, measuring 40,000 sqm, or twice as big as the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and it provides a logistics hub for over 15,000 individual product lines.

Eastern Creek ships over 60,000 items every day and is the largest distribution centre for technology products in Australia. Transport at the facility is handled by 34 docks, and the Distribution Centre has capacity for over 30,000 pallets.

Eastern Creek was selected because it is central to major transport infrastructure, logistics partners, and motorways, making delivery to customers more efficient while minimising the carbon emissions created in the transport and shipping phase.

Overseeing Eastern Creek is Aaron Kumar, Ingram Micro’s Director of Operations, who comments on the sustainability efforts being done in Australia.

Reducing waste and minimising CO2

According to Aaron, packaging is an essential focus for Eastern Creek’s sustainability efforts. This means ‘right-sizing’ the packages used, so they are appropriate to the dimensions of the product being shipped. To achieve this, new machinery was installed that builds cardboard boxes of the correct dimensions – not too large or small – to package each product. This change has led to a reduction in cardboard use of around 15 per cent.

However, packaging is only one part of the puzzle when it comes to getting goods to customers, the other component being the transport used in shipping. Aaron estimates that by swapping out road for rail when a container arrives in Australia and is moved from the port to an inland facility, Ingram Micro could reduce carbon emissions by between 20 and 50 per cent.

In the future, the company will also begin using rail to transport products from the east to the west coast, a job currently done by road, which should see carbon emissions reductions of between 60 and 70 per cent.

Eastern Creek Distribution Centre is where some important activities from Ingram Micro’s 10 to Zero Initiative come to life. From solar and renewables-sourced power to packaging and logistics innovation, Ingram Micro is proud of what it has achieved and is looking forward to attaining even greater levels of sustainability heading towards 2030.