Overwhelmingly and across the board the answer was the same -- yes, sustainability has a definite level of importance in the 3PL industry -- but pricing premiums are not readily accepted -- yet. This struck me as similar to consumers of organic food -- there are certain subsets of the population that will only purchase organic food and don't even blink an eye at the price because of the benefits to their health, the environment and the farmers they are supporting. Other consumers need to -- or want to - watch their bottom line more closely and realize an apple is healthy, whether it's organic or not. In other words, it's getting the job done.

Likewise, customers of 3PLs understand the importance of environmental sustainability and the 3PLs themselves want to provide the option of a sustainable service for their customers -- but not everyone is ready to spend that extra dollar to go green. Government regulations are helping to bring environmental sustainability to the forefront, such as emissions standards, but major customers are also a driving force. Influencers such as Walmart, even if they're not ready to pay a premium -- yet, can help to foster compliance regulations providing the necessary momentum for all 3PLs to provide these services to customers.

The interviews for the most part fell somewhere in the middle in terms of opinion but each end of the spectrum was represented. Jeremy Davidson, managing director of NYK Logistics took more of a wait and see approach stating, "." NYK Logistics felt that the economic environment companies and customers are still facing simply can't support the premium placed on environmentally sustainable services.

On the flip side DHL has set a definitive goal they would like to reach in terms of sustainability, and has made it a priority in their organization, as noted by Hermann Ude, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding & Freight,