2025, the year that sustainability moves to the top of the backlog and out into the sprints
In recent years, I have seen how the word “sustainability” has been widely used in the logistics industry. A strong buzzword, absolutely — but at the same time something that often stays in powerpoint presentations and high-flying visions. We at Zhipster are a product company, and for us it's not about making sustainability a stylish headline in a meeting room. It's about realizing the ideas in our actual functions -- in our TMS.
“Sustainability moves to the top of the backlog”
In our world, the most important confirmation that an idea is really taken seriously is that it is prioritized in development work. When we decided to invest heavily in sustainability, it didn't mean yet another plan or strategy — it meant that we literally moved up all the sustainability-related points in our backlog and made sure they became part of our running sprints.
What does that mean concretely? Well, that environmental benefit and climate impact now stand side by side with traditional product issues such as performance, ease of use and system stability. If a new feature reduces the number of shipments or optimizes delivery routes better than today's solution, it has a high priority. I can honestly say that we didn't always think that way in the past -- but now we think it's the only way forward.
From the meeting room to the code
It's easy to say something is important during a meeting; harder to really encode sustainability into the product. We quickly discovered that it took more than a benevolent attitude — we needed to work differently. Making routines for route optimization, last-mile collaborations and more climate-smart modes of transport was not always trivial.
Sometimes we came across on patrol: how best to integrate with new suppliers who also want to switch? What data must be available in order to calculate actual emissions?
The point is that none of this would have ever happened if we didn't move sustainability into actual product development. We started turning nice words into actual features.
2025 — the year in which we invest in sustainability
Now you may be thinking, dear reader: “Should you only focus on sustainability for one year? Have you forgotten about the environment?” I understand the musing. But for us, 2025 is not about a short-term campaign. Rather, it is about a fundamental shift in the way we think and act — from seeing sustainability as yet another item on the to-do list to seeing it as a natural part of our product development.
We've always said sustainability is important, but I'll be honest: we haven't always made it a high priority. And I think that sincerity is needed. Making logistics and transport flows more sustainable, efficient and smarter requires more than good intentions — we really need to demonstrate how we integrate the environmental perspective into everything from codebase to collaboration. That's why we want 2025 to be the year when we can say, 'Now sustainability is something we actually do, not just something we talk about. '
Is it simple? It's absolutely not. We are constantly learning and regularly encountering new challenges. But it's worth the effort. I think every step we take forward shows not just to us, but to the entire industry, that this is entirely possible. As with all major transformations, there are many small actions that together make a major change.
More features in the pipeline — and more actors needed
For us, action is about building new features in the TMS and improving existing ones. But we know that others also come up with good ideas. That's why we don't want to do this alone. It's no secret how we prioritize — we believe that the entire logistics industry gains from sustainability becoming everyday, not the exception.
End words: Less talk, more code
So, if you were expecting yet another trend spotting, you'll have to look further. Instead, we want to show how Zhipster tries to put sustainability more centrally through concrete development steps. For anyone who feels the same way, whether you are customers, partners or simply interested in the logistics of the future, I hope you will want to hang on.
Together, we can make sustainability more than a headline in a meeting protocol — we can make it part of the code, a natural part of product development, and a matter of course in every transport flow. That is the goal. And 2025 is the year when we seriously take the leap from thought to action.
