Warehouse automation: a lever for land and energy efficiency
Published on 18 June 2026, the first environmental assessment of a robotic solution shows mixed results.
On 18 June 2026, ADEME published the results of the first environmental assessment of a robotic solution for automating order picking in warehouses.
Exotec, one of the leaders in automation, made the data from its Skypod system available to enable this unprecedented assessment, carried out using ADEME's environmental project assessment method.
Four standard scenarios were studied to compare the automated solution with conventional handling. The results differ depending on the angle taken: automation offers environmental advantages at equivalent productivity, but more nuanced impacts at equivalent floor area.
This distinction is methodologically important. At equivalent productivity, automation makes it possible to handle the same volume on a smaller footprint, which limits land artificialisation and heating and lighting requirements.
At equivalent floor area, by contrast, the densification of activity increases the site's electricity consumption, even though efficiency per parcel handled improves.
The conclusions identify the essential conditions for securing the benefits over the long term, in a context of efforts to combat land artificialisation.