Category «Research»

Research: a managerial and behavioral approach in aligning stakeholder goals in sustainable last-mile logistics

Stakeholders play vital roles in the implementation of sustainable last-mile logistics solutions. Goal alignment in sustainable last-mile logistics that involve multiple stakeholders is complex and challenging, yet it can improve the chance of success of the last-mile logistics project. Furthermore, aligning stakeholder goals in sustainable last-mile logistics can help optimize individual supply chain actors’ resources …

Research: different charging strategies for electric vehicle fleets in city logistics

The transition from diesel-driven urban freight transport towards more electric urban freight transport turns out to be challenging in practice. A primary concern for transport operators is how to find a reliable charging strategy for a more extensive electric vehicle fleet that provides flexibility based on different daily mission profiles within that fleet while also …

Research: accessibility and equity analysis of transit facility sites for common carrier parcel lockers

Transit goals have typically focused on commuter trips but facilitating urban last-mile freight logistics is a potential strategy to increase transit ridership and mitigate the demands of parcel distribution on the transportation network. Presently, most parcel lockers operate out of private businesses, but consumer surveys have found that transit users may be interested in locker …

Research: environmental sustainability of the last mile in omnichannel retail

Heleen Buldeo Rai loves sustainable online shopping; she wrote her Ph.D. thesis about it in 2019. In her thesis, she takes the reader by the hand along the ‘customer journey.’ Of course, we already know that we don’t have to be ashamed of ordering online. But, it can be much more sustainable with less impact …

Decarbonizing urban logistics: perspectives for low- and middle-income countries

What initiatives abate urban logistics’ carbon emissions more efficiently and effectively? Numerous theoretical and practical studies address the challenge of reducing carbon emissions from the logistics sector while ensuring the flow of goods to highly urbanized areas. In a position paper, Fransoo and Mora-Quiñones present and discuss initiatives seeking to abate urban logistics carbon emissions …

Circular Foam project aims to boost recycling of insulation material across Europe

Closing the materials cycle for rigid polyurethane foams. This is the ambitious goal of the new pan-European “CIRCULAR FOAM” project. The EU-funded lighthouse project coordinated by Covestro, a world-leading polymer company, brings together 22 partners from 9 countries from industry, academia, and society. Within four years, they want to jointly establish a complete circular value …

Ricardo about the future of sustainable transport

There is a need to move towards transportation solutions that are economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable. In their latest Future of Sustainable Transport report, Ricardo experts bring clarity to some of the complexities of future mobility, including: drivers for future sustainable transport challenges to achieving net zero current initiatives to address issues faced by the transport sector. …

Learning from, or repeating, past mistakes in urban construction logistics?

The construction industry is reluctant to utilize construction logistics centers (CLC). Mats Janne and Anna Fredriksson’s study focused on understanding the drivers and challenges of CLC utilization. There is a difference between drivers and challenges for implementing and utilizing CLCs, often implemented to reduce third-party disturbances. CLCs can reduce environmental impact and third-party disturbances. However, …

Towards profitable growth in e-grocery retailing: the role of store and household density

Despite the continued growth of e-grocery sales, few companies make any profits in this retail segment. Increasing market shares and associated drop densities may make profitable operations possible. Higher delivery fees seem essential to profitability. Yet such higher fees may put e-groceries at a disadvantage compared to the traditional store channel, which remains highly competitive. …

Last-mile delivering: analysis of environment-friendly transport

Urban logistics is becoming increasingly complex and costly. There are several reasons for this, such as the growth of e-commerce, enhanced customer expectations, the desire to increase delivery performance at lower costs, and improvement in city/urban sustainability and livability. In order to respond to the challenges of urban last-mile distribution, companies have to develop new …