Construction logistics is increasingly recognised as a major blind spot in urban decarbonisation strategies. While attention has focused heavily on parcel delivery and retail freight, construction supply chains generate large freight flows, fragmented deliveries, and significant emissions in cities. This Emerald paper examines how supplier-led consolidation and integrated warehousing can reduce transport inefficiencies and embodied carbon in construction logistics.
Construction logistics is increasingly recognised as a major blind spot in urban decarbonisation strategies. While attention has focused heavily on parcel delivery and retail freight, construction supply chains generate large freight flows, fragmented deliveries, and significant emissions in cities. The Emerald paper examines how supplier-led consolidation and integrated warehousing can reduce transport inefficiencies and embodied carbon in construction logistics.
Construction is characterised by:
fragmented supply chains
just-in-time deliveries
multiple suppliers serving the same site
low vehicle load factors and high trip frequencies
These characteristics lead to disproportionate freight impacts in cities, including congestion, emissions, and safety risks. The paper argues that decarbonisation cannot rely solely on vehicle electrification; logistics system redesign is essential.
From project-based logistics to supplier-led consolidation
Traditional construction logistics is project-driven: each supplier delivers directly to the site. This produces large numbers of small deliveries, inefficient routing and frequent failed deliveries due to limited site access.
The article explores a shift toward supplier-led distribution models, in which suppliers coordinate deliveries through shared warehousing and consolidation facilities before final delivery to sites. This resembles urban consolidation centre (UCC) concepts but differs in governance: instead of city-led or site-led schemes, consolidation is embedded within the supply chain itself.
Key mechanisms include: integrated warehousing, coordinated inbound logistics, shared transport resources, and improved inventory visibility. This reconfiguration enables higher vehicle utilisation and fewer delivery trips.
Carbon reduction mechanisms
The paper identifies several pathways through which supplier-led consolidation reduces emissions:
- Higher load factors
- Consolidation increases vehicle fill rates, reducing the number of trips required.
- Reduced failed deliveries
- Construction sites often have limited unloading capacity. Coordinated deliveries reduce waiting times and aborted trips.
- Improved routing efficiency
- Centralised planning allows optimisation across multiple suppliers.
- Modal and vehicle transition
Together, these mechanisms demonstrate how operational improvements can reduce both transport emissions and embodied carbon across the construction supply chain.
Governance and implementation challenges
Despite the environmental benefits, the paper highlights significant barriers: fragmented industry structure and competitive relationships between suppliers, limited incentives for collaboration, contractual structures that prioritise lowest cost procurement, and a lack of visibility across supply chains
The authors argue that supplier-led consolidation requires new governance models and collaboration mechanisms. This includes changes in procurement practices, stronger client requirements, and greater integration between logistics and construction planning.
Implications for city logistics research
For the city logistics community, the article delivers three key messages. First, construction logistics must be integrated into urban freight strategies; ignoring it risks missing a major emissions source. Second, consolidation should be viewed not only as an urban policy instrument but also as a supply-chain innovation. Third, decarbonisation requires systemic change: technology alone will not deliver the necessary reductions.
Conclusion
The paper positions supplier-led consolidation as a promising pathway toward low-carbon construction logistics. By moving from fragmented, project-based deliveries to coordinated distribution systems, cities can achieve significant reductions in freight traffic and emissions while improving efficiency and reliability. The challenge now lies in scaling these models through governance innovation, procurement reform, and industry collaboration.
Source: Dhawan K, Tookey J, Fredriksson A, Tetik M (2026), “Decarbonising construction logistics: the role of supplier-led distribution and integrated warehousing”. Construction Innovation: Information Process Management, Vol. 26 No. 9 pp. 21–48, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/CI-06-2025-0285