by Walther Ploos van Amstel
The study by Corvello et al. (2025) provides the most comprehensive attempt to date to integrate the fragmented research landscape on City Logistics 4.0 (CL4.0). By analysing 194 peer-reviewed papers, the authors propose a new conceptualization of CL4.0, synthesize technological, logistical, and sustainability perspectives, and outline a robust future research agenda. Four overarching conclusions emerge. …
City logistics faces mounting pressure from congestion, emissions, rising delivery volumes, and scarce urban space. The Physical Internet (PI) offers a transformative framework to address these challenges by applying the principles of digital internet architecture to the movement of physical goods. Instead of closed, proprietary logistics networks, PI envisions an open, interoperable, and highly connected …
Belgium is experiencing a rapid expansion of parcel locker networks, prompting the Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications (BIPT) to launch a public consultation on their future development and regulation. Parcel lockers have grown nearly tenfold in six years: by the end of 2024, Belgium counted 1,684 lockers, up from just over 170 in …
The e-commerce boom has turned last-mile logistics into a permanent feature of urban life: millions of parcels a day, dense networks of depots, and streets full of vans, trucks, and bikes. The report Fast Shipping. Slow Justice shows what that looks like in New York City: more crashes near warehouses, higher pollution in environmental justice …
The supply chain is often described as the invisible backbone of the global economy. As long as goods circulate, trucks roll, and ships dock, no one pays much attention. But as recent years have shown, when a link breaks, the world notices immediately. For decades, logistics has been a reactive industry, fixing problems after they …
Urban logistics is getting a digital upgrade. Geopost, Europe’s leading parcel delivery network, has launched Geopost Vision. This is a groundbreaking initiative that transforms its 65,000-vehicle fleet into a continent-wide street-level imaging platform. Turning Deliveries into Data Every day, Geopost’s delivery vans traverse over 2 billion kilometers annually across 22 European countries. Rather than letting …
Universities across Europe face a growing challenge: how do we equip students, engineers, designers, economists, social scientists with the skills to navigate the environmental, economic, and social complexities of the plastics transition? As plastic production is expected to more than double by 2050, and recycling systems lag far behind, the need for systemic thinking has …
As the European Commission prepares its new European Strategy for Housing Construction, POLIS has issued a clear and timely message: Europe cannot solve its housing challenges without integrating transport, sustainability, and regional cooperation into the heart of the strategy. POLIS welcomes the Commission’s ambition to strengthen Europe’s housing sector—not only as a driver of economic …
A new government-commissioned study examines whether the Netherlands could introduce mandatory return charges for online clothing and the environmental impact that would have. While the concept seems simple, the findings are far more complex and highly relevant for e-commerce leaders. Returns: a structural and costly habit Free returns have become the norm: 71% of Dutch …
The European truck industry stands at a critical turning point. Transitioning to zero-emission (ZE) trucks is no longer just a climate ambition. It has become central to preserving the sector’s long-term competitiveness. McKinsey identifies three interlinked pillars that must advance together: a competitive and broad ZE-truck offering, a robust charging and refueling infrastructure, and enabling …