Sustainable Distribution in the Consumer Goods Supply Chain

Abstract

Sustainability in logistics and efforts to increase economic gains while managing the impact on the environment and on society have been discussed in all spheres of companies' decision-making processes. Especially in the consumer goods industry, customers' pressures are becoming more intense, not only related to product stewardship but also to supply chain responsibility. This paper intends to discuss how companies have been preparing themselves or reacting to these new demands. Using the content analysis method, practices published in public reports and implemented by top ranked sustainable companies were collected and analyzed. The practices were structured according to a newly developed framework for sustainable supply chains and are focused on distribution activities. These activities account for a large percentage of companies' carbon footprint and therefore offer ample opportunity for improvements in sustainability. The results show that the bulk of companies' investments related to sustainability is in Equipment and Vehicles technologies, especially battery electric vehicles. To understand more about this new trend, a survey was conducted with 33 companies from different industries in order to detect business users' profiles as well as their technical characteristics. The paper's results include insights about the challenges and opportunities in the consumer goods industry towards a sustainable supply chain network.

Original document

The different versions of the original document can be found in:

• http://hdl.handle.net/10419/209276