Call for papers: "Putting together environmental sustainability and profitability in logistics and supply chains"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Business and Systems Research.

In recent years, the natural environment has become a major issue as global warming and resource scarcity became more prevalent. In addition, the economic global crisis has accelerated the need for sustainable growth where better usage of natural resources creates the potential to develop a greener economy. As a result, the impact of business operations on the natural environment is one of the main areas in which societies and governments have become more sensitive.

Road congestion, urban mobility, local air pollution and the need for CO2 reductions and energy conservation is having a dramatic impact on future logistics systems and supply chains in all industries and geographic regions. Companies and public authorities are being forced to reduce the impact on the environment of their supply chains and logistics systems and will have to develop sustainable logistics and supply chain strategies. Realising environmental objectives can be done in synergy with other strategic and financial goals. Green logistics and green supply chain practices often reduce logistics costs as they will reduce energy use. But it is also true that some economic trends, such as a shift to more offshore manufacturing and more frequent JIT deliveries, have a negative impact on the ecological performance of supply chains.

At a macro level, transport and logistics related activities contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. In the growing research literature, various aspects of environmental sustainability in logistics have been addressed. However, with few exceptions, the main focus has been on environmental aspects while profitability and business effectiveness perspectives are only sparsely addressed.

The main aim of this special issue is to explore strategies for simultaneously improving environmental sustainability and business profitability and sustainability in logistics systems and supply chains. The specific objective is to present a number of papers that deal with this boundary spanning challenge in various ways. This can be reflected through addressing the situation of different actors, like 3PLs or shippers, or addressing issues relating to relationships between supply chain actors from the academic and practitioner point of views.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following, with a focus on the Eurasian area context:

• Sustainable business system development relating to logistics and supply chains
• Business models and ICT systems supporting sustainable business development in logistics and SCM
• Assessing and measuring logistics and supply chain environmental and financial performance
• Coordination and collaboration for developing more sustainable logistics and supply chains
• Strategies for environmentally and financially sustainable supply chain logistics.
• Design of business- and carbon-efficient logistics systems
• Sustainable reverse logistics systems
• Profitable greening of third party logistics operations and strategies
• Implications for logistics from Environmental Management Systems (EMS)
• Purchasing green and profitable logistics services
• Drivers and barriers to green and profitable logistics and supply chains
• Knowledge-based approach for green and profitable logistics and supply chains
• Modelling and optimisation of green logistics networks
• Decision-support systems for green logistics and SCM
• Risk management in green logistics and supply chains

Important Dates

Full paper deadline: 1 July, 2015