--- title: "Alibaba Offers a Helping Hand to Combat Coronavirus in China With Green Logistics" id: "8952" type: "post" slug: "alibaba-combats-coronavirus-in-china-with-green-logistics" published_at: "2020-02-14T17:10:00+00:00" modified_at: "2025-08-05T14:57:54+00:00" url: "https://locus.sh/blogs/alibaba-combats-coronavirus-in-china-with-green-logistics/" markdown_url: "https://locus.sh/blogs/alibaba-combats-coronavirus-in-china-with-green-logistics.md" excerpt: "Coronavirus outbreak drives demand for China's online grocers. Alibaba has stepped up to fight the deadly rampant with green logistics. Read to know more!" taxonomy_category: - "Sustainability" taxonomy_post_tag: - "Alibaba" - "Green Logistics" - "Supply Chain Sustainability" --- #### [Sustainability](https://locus.sh/blogs/category/sustainability/) # Alibaba Offers a Helping Hand to Combat Coronavirus in China With Green Logistics [Team Locus](/author/team-locus/) Feb 14, 2020 3 mins read *Alibaba is carrying out this operation through its green logistics arm, Cainiao. More supply chain companies in Asia will focus on green logistics in the coming years.* ## Key Takeaways - During the 2020 coronavirus outbreak, Alibaba launched a B2B platform connecting global medical suppliers with Chinese hospitals, facilitating critical medical supply distribution through its Cainiao logistics network. - Green logistics practices, including eco-friendly packaging, low-emission vehicles, and optimized routing, are becoming increasingly important differentiators for supply chain companies across Asia. - Sustainable logistics strategies can significantly reduce environmental impact across transportation, warehousing, packaging, and inventory management operations. - Locus’s AI-powered route optimization solutions help enterprises minimize fuel consumption and carbon footprint while maintaining efficient delivery operations. The outbreak of Coronavirus in China has intensified with a death toll of around 1300. The virus is also rapidly spreading to nearby nations; at least 43,000 cases have been reported worldwide, most of them from China’s Hubei province. The WHO has declared a global health emergency and announced that a vaccine for Coronavirus could be available in 18 months. Meanwhile, Alibaba, China’s leading e-commerce player, has stepped up to fight the deadly epidemic with green logistics. The company has launched an e-commerce platform to connect medical suppliers worldwide with thousands of Coronavirus victims in China. This special B2B platform will source medical supplies from retailers worldwide and provide the supplies to organizations working towards treating the disease. Alibaba’s green logistics arm, Cainiao, is ensuring that the necessary drugs and medical equipment are shipped to the needy in the most efficient and eco-friendly way. So far, Cainiao has more than 150 suppliers and has delivered medical supplies from over 15 countries in 18 hospitals across the country. ‘Green Logistics 2020’ is Alibaba’s green e-commerce initiative that aims to implement eco-friendly practices of material recycling, green packaging, effective route planning, and delivery methods throughout its global supply chain. This is a joint mission across several entities within the Alibaba Group, including its online retail stores Tmall, Taobao, Xianyu, as well as its on-demand food delivery site Ele.me. The demand for sustainable logistics is only increasing, pushing supply chains worldwide to embrace similar ways of doing business. While sustainable development has been a focus for corporates in developed nations, there has been a significant shift toward eco-friendly business practices, especially green logistics in developing countries across Asia. Companies are taking effective measures in this regard; such as using eco-friendly packaging materials that can be reused and recycled, choosing vehicles that have low carbon emissions, load optimization to ensure efficient vehicle utilization for shipments, and [route optimization in order to save travel costs](https://locus.sh/blogs/how-can-route-optimization-reduce-costs-and-improve-last-mile-delivery-in-southeast-asia/) by taking the shortest routes, thereby reducing fuel consumption significantly. The [importance of eco-friendly](https://locus.sh/blogs/supply-chain-sustainability-importance/) practices in modern-day supply chains cannot be overlooked. Logistics operations hugely impact the environment in several ways. Implementing sustainable transport and logistics strategies can reduce the environmental impact caused by logistics activities including transportation, warehousing, inventory management, packaging, raw materials handling and forward and reverse shipment services. 2020 and the years to come will see more Asian companies in [retail](https://locus.sh/retail-logistics/) , [e-commerce](https://locus.sh/ecommerce-logistics/) , [3PL](https://locus.sh/3pl-and-cep/) and distributor services embrace green logistics. In fact, [green logistics](https://locus.sh/resources/glossary/green-logistics/) might become a key differentiator for enterprises in Asia’s supply chain in the near future. **Locus helps supply chain enterprises reduce fuel consumption and minimize carbon footprint with [AI-driven Route Optimization solutions.](https://locus.sh/route-optimization/route-optimization-software/)** MEET THE AUTHOR Team Locus Written by the Locus Solutions Team—logistics technology experts helping enterprise fleets scale with confidence and precision. ### Related Tags: [Alibaba](https://locus.sh/blogs/tagged/alibaba/) [Green Logistics](https://locus.sh/blogs/tagged/green-logistics/) [Supply Chain Sustainability](https://locus.sh/blogs/tagged/supply-chain-sustainability/) [https://locus.sh/blogs/logistics-solutions-for-on-demand-services/](https://locus.sh/blogs/logistics-solutions-for-on-demand-services/) #### [Last Mile Delivery Optimization](https://locus.sh/blogs/category/last-mile-delivery-optimization/) ## [Smart logistics solutions are ‘in demand’ for on-demand services](https://locus.sh/blogs/logistics-solutions-for-on-demand-services/) [Team Locus](https://locus.sh/blogs/author/team-locus/) Feb 7, 2020 Key Takeaways This is a good time to be a customer. Yeah, really! Almost everything you need is an app away. Want a cab? Open Uber or Lyft or Didi or Ola, depending on your geography; want food reviews? Open Yelp or Zomato; want your house to be cleaned? Open a home services app. You […] [Read more](https://locus.sh/blogs/logistics-solutions-for-on-demand-services/) [https://locus.sh/blogs/how-route-optimization-benefits-pharma-industry/](https://locus.sh/blogs/how-route-optimization-benefits-pharma-industry/) #### [Healthcare / Pharmaceutical](https://locus.sh/blogs/category/optimize-healthcare-logistics/) ## [Route Optimization for the Pharmaceutical Industry: Countering last-mile delivery problems](https://locus.sh/blogs/how-route-optimization-benefits-pharma-industry/) [Lakshmi D](https://locus.sh/blogs/author/lakshmilocussh/) Feb 28, 2020 Key Takeaways Pharmaceutical organizations spend on average 6% of their revenue on logistics- World Health Organization and Parenteral Drug Association statistics (WHO and PDA). The pharmaceutical industry has been successful in creating life-saving drugs through advanced research and clinical trials. Transportation and storage determine the major success of pharma products globally. A small mistake in […] [Read more](https://locus.sh/blogs/how-route-optimization-benefits-pharma-industry/) ## Alibaba Offers a Helping Hand to Combat Coronavirus in China With Green Logistics - Share - [Print](javascript:window.print()) - [Download](#) - [Schedule a Demo](https://locus.sh/schedule-demo/) ### Is your team spending more time on fixing logistics plan than running the operation? - Agentic transportation management from order intake to freight settlement - Route optimization built on 250+ real-world constraints - AI-driven dispatch with automatic execution handling 20%Cost Reduction 66%Faster Planning Cycles [Schedule a demo](/schedule-demo/) Insights Worth Your Time #### [General](https://locus.sh/blogs/category/general/) ## [Locus 2026 US Consumer Survey: Generative AI isn’t Just Changing How Consumers Shop, it’s Breaking the Demand Patterns US Retail Was Built On](https://locus.sh/blogs/generative-ai-shopping-effect-retail-fulfillment-operations-locus-q2-2026-consumer-survey/) [Ishan Bhattacharya](https://locus.sh/blogs/author/ishan_locus/) May 29, 2026 #### [General](https://locus.sh/blogs/category/general/) ## [Embedded vs Bolted-On AI: The Architecture Question European Logistics Buyers Are Asking](https://locus.sh/blogs/embedded-vs-bolted-on-ai-european-logistics-platform-architecture-business-benefits/) [Aseem Sinha](https://locus.sh/blogs/author/aseem_locus/) May 21, 2026 #### [General](https://locus.sh/blogs/category/general/) ## [Hybrid Fleet Management: How Owned, 3PL, Gig, ICE, and EV Capacity Actually Operate at Most Enterprises](https://locus.sh/blogs/three-workforce-fleet-reality-owned-3pl-gig-drivers/) [Aseem Sinha](https://locus.sh/blogs/author/aseem_locus/) May 7, 2026 #### [General](https://locus.sh/blogs/category/general/) ## [US Returns Hit $850 Billion in 2025: Why US Retailers Are Restructuring Reverse Logistics in 2026](https://locus.sh/blogs/850-billion-us-returns-ai-routing-reverse-logistics-2026/) [Ishan Bhattacharya](https://locus.sh/blogs/author/ishan_locus/) May 7, 2026