Green Logistics

Traditionally, logistics decisions have been driven by minimizing cost, maximizing profitability, or achieving customer service targets. As companies have added sustainability goals to their business objectives, there has been an increased interest in mitigating the social and environmental impact of their products and operations. Green logistics refers to the systematic measurement, analysis, and, ultimately, mitigation of the environmental impact of logistics activities. This chapter describes the main environmental impacts of logistic operations, namely, greenhouse gases, pollution, noise, vibration, and packaging waste. It introduces the various green logistics strategies available to mitigate these impacts, how these impacts can be incorporated in logistics decision-making, and how organizations collaborate to implement green logistics in practice.