Logistics service providers, manufacturers, and retailers largely agree on the measures that cut emissions and promote sustainability in logistics, but they struggle to scale them, according to results of the first Global Sustainable Logistics Survey (GSLS), released this week by Kühne Logistics University (KLU) and the Kuehne Climate Center (KCC).
The survey polled 1,085 professionals from 64 countries about sustainable logistics, covering three topics: sustainability solutions, skills, and adaptation to climate risks.
“Across all three areas, the same pattern emerges: professionals broadly agree on what needs to happen, but progress depends on whether individual companies, or the wider systems they rely on, are actually able to act,” GSLS researchers wrote in the inaugural report, which they say is the first global, longitudinal study on sustainable logistics and sets a baseline for tracking the sector over the United Nations (UN) Decade of Sustainable Transport initiative.
Key survey findings include:
- Logistics providers and their customers rated 21 sustainability solutions—such as route optimization, fleet electrification, and the use of low-carbon fuels—almost identically. Feasibility, not disagreement, influences what gets adopted.
- Infrastructure could become the bottleneck of the coming decade if low-carbon vehicles and fuels scale faster than the charging networks, terminals, and rail they rely on.
- A majority—83%—of logistics professionals expect climate adaptation to force a fundamental redesign of logistics networks, but only 45% consider current efforts adequate.
The report also makes recommendations for policymakers and logistics professionals on scaling sustainability solutions, building skills, and adapting to climate risks.
For policymakers, those recommendations include developing a “context-specific enabling policy framework” for sustainable logistics: “Frameworks should focus on solutions that are rated effective but rarely adopted, such as low-carbon fuels, electrification, and intermodal transport,” according to the report.
For managers, recommendations include moving ahead with capital-intensive solutions while demanding changes in policy frameworks: “Companies that move early build know-how and meet customer expectations before regulation requires it. Investments can be staged while preserving flexibility,” according to the report.
The survey and full report are available online from the Kuehne Climate Center.
