Author archives

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 …

Fulfillment cost: online is now winning over bricks-and-mortar

Amazon showed disappointing third-quarter results on fulfillment. The costs of fulfillment rose again, to now almost 31% of online sales. Year after year, these costs increase by one percentage point despite more sales. Growing volumes do not result in economy of scale at Amazon? Zalando is doing a better job. Zalando’s fulfillment costs are decreasing …

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 …

Pitney Bowes: parcel volumes will keep growing worldwide

Pitney Bowes Inc., a global technology company that provides commerce solutions in e-commerce, shipping, mailing, data, and financial services, released the new Parcel Shipping Index featuring 2020 data from 13 major markets around the world. The Index finds global parcel volume reached 131 billion in 2020, equating to 4.160 parcels shipped per second – an increase of …

New WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines aim to save millions of premature deaths from air pollution

Air pollution is one of the biggest environmental threats to human health, alongside climate change. New World Health Organization (WHO) Global Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs) provide evidence of air pollution’s damage to human health at even lower concentrations than previously understood. The guidelines recommend new air quality levels to protect the health of populations by …

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, …