TLS LOGISTICS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD ALTUĞ HACIALIOĞLU

“WE AIM TO GO BEYOND GREEN LOGISTICS STANDARDS...”

“Turkish logistics companies must meet the environmental standards accepted in the world to compete with international companies. If you do not meet these standards, it does not matter how high your price is.” TLS Logistics, a company that has made significant improvements in the last few years to become one of the world’s leading logistics companies, continues to invest in environmental policies. TLS Logistics is setting up a dedicated department under ‘Corporate Development’ to deal with occupational health and safety and environmental policy.

EURO 6 TO BUILD THE ENTIRE FLEET

TLS Logistics CEO Altuğ Hacıalioğlu said, “Basically, the logistics industry pollutes nature. Because of the exhaust gasses that come from the vehicles, they pollute this industry a lot. Still, the industry’s share in the pollution is minimal,” listing what they do for the environment as follows: “What are we doing for the environment? We have implemented all our fleet investments according to the Euro 5 standard. Now Euro 6 is coming into play. We are going to convert our entire fleet to Euro 6 to produce fewer carbon emissions.

By the end of the year, we will move all of our management to a new headquarters in Ataşehir. In cooperation with the WWF, we are preparing a green office certification for our new administration building. We are working to bring energy efficiency standards in our warehouses to the highest level. We have changed the lighting systems in all our warehouses to LED systems in low warehouses and Horasan systems in high warehouses to use less energy. In addition, we have located our warehouses near the production centers of the major companies we serve. This also reduces the need for intermediate transportation, and we travel fewer miles, use less fuel, and generate less traffic. Accordingly, our exhaust emissions also decrease. We are constantly measuring our carbon emissions. In this sense, we have carried out a study with the relevant producer organizations. We have also worked with WWF and TEMA.”

THE CUSTOMER ASKS: DO YOU DRINK WATER FROM A GLASS OR PLASTIC IN YOUR COMPANY?

Altuğ Hacıalioğlu, who says that customers have demands for environmentally friendly services, points out that, for example, in the company’s introductory documents, which are submitted before the tender, they are asked in detail, “Do you drink water from a glass or a plastic cup in the company?” Hacıalioğlu notes that customers ask for, document all environmental policies, and emphasize that these requests relate to the environment and occupational health. Hacıalioğlu emphasized that customers not only ask these questions but also come and control them, “Whether you control carbon emissions is a fundamental issue. On the one hand, they are forcing companies that are not environmentalists to become environmentalists. There is a lot to learn here. In that sense, it is a very dynamic industry that is open to development. We are in a position to bridge that gap well.”

“WE HAVE TO PLAY THE GAME ACCORDING TO THE RULES OF GREEN LOGISTICS”

Hacıalioğlu answers our question about why environmental protection is essential in logistics and how TLS sees this issue as follows: “There are two dimensions in this business. Firstly, as TLS Logistics, we were founded in the 2000s when environmental issues became more important. Respect for life has been an integral part of our corporate culture since the day we were founded. The other aspect of the issue is that Turkish logistics companies must meet the environmental standards accepted in the world to compete economically with international companies. If you do not meet these standards, it does not matter how high your price is. “First, there will be standards, and then other commercial assessments will start to affect each other. In other words, both regulatory requirements and international standards, as well as our commitment to protect our world, which is our raison d’être, as a livable place, require us to play the game by the rules of green logistics.”

Both the fact that we have to protect our world, which is our raison d’être, as a livable place, require us to play the game according to the rules of Green Logistics.

“GREEN LOGISTICS STANDARDS ARE PART OF US”

Hacıalioğlu states that they are working with TEMA to neutralize the value by planting trees against carbon emissions and that they will publish this study on their website starting September 1. Hacıalioğlu emphasizes that 45 percent of its customer portfolio consists of multinational companies and recalls that it is a logistics company that operates within Turkey’s borders and on a global scale. Hacıalioğlu points out that Green Logistics standards are also a part of the company: “However, we are a company that aims to exceed Green Logistics standards and customers’ expectations in this sense.”

(Green Logistics, 01/12/2014)