Couriers adapt to climate-driven supply chain disruptions

With research showing floods and storms in South Africa have intensified sharply over the past decade, delivery networks are under growing strain. Courier firms are now looking to predictive planning and digital tools to keep goods moving despite climate disruption.

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A study published in the Environmental Development journal warns that the frequency and severity of extreme weather will continue to escalate, with effects rippling far beyond immediate damage. Businesses dependent on time-sensitive deliveries – from retail to manufacturing to healthcare – are among the most affected.

"Extreme weather can no longer be treated as a rare disruption,” says Leon Bruwer, managing director of sales for Sub-Saharan Africa at FedEx. “It’s something we’re seeing more regularly. The key to managing this rising risk lies in solid preparation which, increasingly, ties into digital readiness."

From resilience to readiness

In the United States, FedEx has already built a digital weather contingency playbook that allows operations teams to reroute shipments before disruptions hit. The approach proved its value during a severe winter storm in January 2024, which hit the company’s Memphis hub. Despite lasting longer than a similar event the year before, the network recovered twice as fast thanks to predictive rerouting.

In South Africa, where storms in KwaZulu-Natal earlier this year damaged roads and power lines across rural areas, such capabilities are especially relevant. "Delivery expectations don’t stop when the weather turns," Bruwer says. "Whether we’re delivering vital healthcare shipments or e-commerce parcels to remote locations, our customers rely on us to keep going."

Technology-driven visibility

Couriers are increasingly looking to digital tools to maintain reliability. FedEx, for example, has invested in SenseAware, a system that uses connected sensors to provide near real-time tracking and monitoring of shipments. Beyond location data, the sensors measure conditions such as humidity and light exposure, with alerts triggered immediately if issues arise.

Such visibility can help businesses plan around uncertainty and reduce losses from damaged or delayed goods – a growing need as climate change reshapes risk in global and local supply chains.

Bruwer believes the logistics sector must evolve from resilience to readiness. "We can’t change the forecast," he says, "but we can change how we plan for it. At FedEx, we’re not merely reacting to climate disruption, we’re building the systems that enable us to deliver through it."