BY MARIA BJÖRKLUND
It has been just over 30 years since environmental considerations began to feature on the logistics agenda and the first scientific articles in the field were published. At the end of the last millennium, I also took my first tentative steps as a doctoral student in environmental logistics. That’s why it’s interesting to look back at the 1990s and at four companies that were studied 25 years ago. What has actually happened since then, and what can their development tell us about the future?
The initial interviews conducted with environmental, procurement, and transportation managers at proactive transportation-purchasing companies revealed, as early as 25 years ago, a clear commitment to how these companies could contribute to more environmentally friendly transportation. At that time, the transport buyers interviewed described how they had tested or implemented a range of different environmental measures.
Green Transportation Measures
One measure that was discussed early on was an effort to shift freight from road to rail. At the same time, the companies faced practical difficulties, not least related to shipment sizes and lead time requirements. In parallel, the companies studied focused on more transport-efficient packaging, changes in logistics structures, and increased load factors. The increased load factors were largely driven by a transition to centralized procurement, which both reduced the number of carriers used and concentrated deliveries on predetermined days. The companies also tested more environmentally friendly fuels and began setting requirements for carriers’ environmental management, supplemented by discussions on vehicle technology, such as the choice of materials in tires.
Electrification and Planning
Even today, transport buyers highlight a wide range of measures, but now it is often initiatives related to electrification that are mentioned first. Today’s interviews also reveal a growing understanding that their own planning and scheduling need to be adapted to accommodate both rail transport and other solutions. At the same time, major shifts in mode of transport rarely form the core of the environmental efforts of the companies studied; the ambition is rather to maintain the current level than to implement major transitions.
”We have chosen to adopt the view that there is no single savior in the future, but rather that a variety of measures are needed.”
A wide variety of measures
The historical and current initiatives of transportation buyers indicate that future environmental efforts will continue to be based on a combination of many different measures. However, this risks being overshadowed when certain solutions receive significant attention in the communications of companies and government agencies. The choice of measures among the companies studied has been largely guided by perceived benefits and business conditions. Measures that both reduce emissions and lower costs—such as increasing fill rates—have been the easiest and quickest to accept and implement. More costly investments in new, more environmentally friendly technology have been implemented only after they were deemed economically feasible. At the same time, these choices are increasingly influenced by how easily the measures can be understood, tested, and monitored, as well as how clearly the results can be demonstrated in practice—which also helps give them a role in companies’ green marketing efforts.
Performance Management for Greener Transportation
When transportation measures are discussed, the focus is often on direct measures that reduce the environmental impact of transportation. However, the interviews clearly show that changes in performance management also play an important, albeit indirect, role in the transition. In contrast to the relatively stable use of a wide range of transportation measures over time, we are now seeing an increased and significantly more systematic use of performance management at the companies studied.
”It was a bit of a trial-and-error process 25 years ago—information was starting to be collected, but not nearly as systematically as it is today.”
Twenty-five years ago, environmental issues were considered early in the procurement process, but they rarely had an impact on the final contracts, and structured follow-up was often lacking. At the same time, measurements of the environmental impact of transportation were being conducted. For example, one transportation buyer investigated the potential of shifting freight from road to rail on a specific route and had two companies prepare environmental calculations for each scenario. However, the calculations proved difficult to compare because the companies used different scopes, assumptions, and methods. Today, a different picture is emerging. Environmental requirements are increasingly being specified in procurement processes, incorporated into transport contracts, and monitoring and reporting have become central elements of environmental management. In addition, companies purchasing transportation services now have access to significantly more data, while several supporting frameworks and standards have emerged.
More cooperation is needed
At the same time, the issue of comparability between environmental calculations from different companies remains. Although several tools and standards are available today, environmental calculations still involve a number of choices that make it difficult to compare companies. However, these calculations are of great importance in monitoring purchased transportation services, where they enable comparisons over time and provide a key basis for identifying opportunities for future environmental initiatives. As part of the ongoing research project funded by Triple F/the Swedish Transport Administration Toward Fossil-Free Freight Transport Through Collaboration-Based Performance Management Both researchers and participating project companies see a need for greater collaboration between transportation buyers and carriers. Even when companies’ overall environmental goals are similar, key performance indicators and methods for environmental calculations often differ, as do perceptions of which transportation measures are most appropriate in different situations. In practice, this leads to significant duplication of effort in achieving the management outcomes each company seeks.
An Organizational Restructuring
One challenge in longitudinal studies is that the environment changes. For the companies studied, globalization and growth have led to environmental efforts related to transportation being organized more centrally today, often with greater involvement from headquarters outside Sweden.
”Headquarters prepares the reports; that way, they (the transportation companies) don’t have to report to each sister company individually.”
Common goals, policies, and reporting procedures have improved oversight and comparability, but at the same time have reduced the scope for action by local pioneers. Local engagement often remains, but is primarily channeled through trials and pilot projects within centrally established frameworks.
Collaboration—Just as Important Now as It Was Then
As early as 25 years ago, the companies interviewed emphasized the importance of collaborating with carriers when assessing, setting goals for, and implementing environmental measures. One company collected environmental data from carriers and scored them based on factors such as transportation technology and the presence of environmental management systems. The carriers were informed of the score required to qualify for the next procurement cycle and that the goal was to gradually raise the bar.
”We try to work in partnership [with the carriers on environmental sustainability]. We try to develop this together. It has been this way for many years.”
Today, individual transportation buyers rarely demonstrate the same foresight; new requirements are often communicated only in connection with the current procurement process. However, today’s transportation buyers demonstrate a greater willingness to share risks, pay more, and enter into longer-term contracts to facilitate the adoption of new technology. In practice, though, this usually occurs on a per-assignment basis. At the same time, collaboration itself is a factor that drives up costs. Given the current geopolitical situation and changing environmental policy instruments, the conditions are not always in place to allocate resources to the collaboration that may be needed now more than ever. As early as the turn of the millennium, attention was drawn to the significance of other actors’ influence. One company found itself at a distinct disadvantage and was forced to adapt to the recipient’s requirements regarding shipment sizes and frequencies, often without regard for efficient use of transport capacity. Today, the demands for collaboration with multiple stakeholders have increased, and such collaboration is beginning to be incorporated into contracts. One example is the requirement that the carrier initiate an environmental dialogue with its other transport-purchasing customers.
Barriers and Drivers
Twenty-five years ago, economic gains were often cited in the interviews as a strong driving force behind environmental measures. Today, however, the increased costs of new technology are often described as an obstacle. At the same time, a major obstacle remains in the form of uncertainty regarding future regulatory requirements, taxes, and subsidies. These policy instruments may, however, become increasingly important in the future, not least to include more reactive actors in larger joint initiatives.
”A major driving force today is that everyone has taken environmental training, which is increasing interest.”
Companies’ commitment to the environment and employees’ awareness were strong driving forces even back then, while a lack of support from management posed obstacles. Today, internal driving forces are often highlighted, but internal obstacles are rarely described. This does not necessarily mean that they do not exist. Rather, it has become more difficult to capture companies’ actual environmental efforts, as statements are often characterized by a more rehearsed rhetoric, and as a researcher, I need to ask more follow-up questions to understand what has actually been implemented and to what extent.
What remains the same, and what is changing?
Interviews with proactive transportation buyers today and 25 years ago show that much remains the same, but that work methods have become more structured. Even early on, there was a clear commitment and a broad understanding of the need for various measures. Today, there is increased performance management with greater access to data and clearer requirements and dialogue during procurement and follow-up. We are embarking on an exciting journey toward environmentally friendly transportation. I hope to return in 2050 with a new historical retrospective and a look into the future!
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Maria Björklund is a professor of logistics at Linköping University
Sources:
Björklund, M. (2026) Now, Then, and Tomorrow: Green Logistics Practices from a Proactive Shipper’s Perspective, International Journal of Physical
Distribution & Logistics Management, 1–18. doi.org/10.1108/IJPDLM-08-2025-0438
Project website: https://liu.se/forskning/fossilfria-godstransporter-och-prestationsstyrning
