Innovation in Sustainable Logistics Management: A Conceptual Approach
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14920003Keywords:
Innovation, Logistics Processes, Sustainability, Digital TransformationAbstract
In the modern global trade landscape, logistics has transcended its traditional role of merely transporting goods and has become a vital strategic component for businesses seeking a competitive edge. The integration of innovation and sustainability is essential in optimizing logistics operations, enhancing efficiency, and supporting companies in meeting their sustainability objectives. In this context, innovation-driven sustainable logistics management allows businesses to realize their environmental, economic, and social sustainability objectives. This research investigates how innovation influences sustainable logistics management by developing a conceptual framework. It analyzes the incorporation of cutting-edge technologies—including digital twins, artificial intelligence, big data analytics, blockchain, and automation systems—into logistics operations to enhance efficiency and sustainability. Furthermore, the effects of sustainable practices, including carbon footprint reduction, recycling-oriented reverse logistics, energy efficiency applications, and other initiatives aimed at reducing environmental impacts, on businesses have been thoroughly evaluated. Existing models and approaches in the literature have been analyzed in detail, and a novel conceptual framework for sustainable logistics management is proposed based on these analyses. This study aims to provide a deeper insight into the relationship between innovation and sustainability in logistics management. It is anticipated that the findings will guide strategic decision-making processes for businesses and other stakeholders in the logistics sector and promote sustainable logistics practices.
Downloads
References
AJOT. (2024). Amazon’s U.S. transportation pollution surges 25% since company announced climate pledge five years ago. Available at: https://www.ajot.com/news/amazons-u.s-transportation-pollution-surges-25-since-company-announced-climate-pledge-five-years-ago.
Amazon. (2024). AWS simulation and digital twin to increase warehouse productivity. Available at: https://aws.amazon.com/tr/blogs/supply-chain/aws-simulation-and-digital-twin-to-increase-warehouse-productivity/.
Amazon Forecast. (2023). What is Amazon Forecast? Available at: https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/what-is-amazon-forecast/.
Bai, C., & Sarkis, J. (2020). A supply chain transparency and sustainability technology appraisal model for blockchain technology. International Journal of Production Research, 58(7), 2142–2162.
Beer, D., & Burrows, R. (2013). Popular culture, digital archives and the new social life of data. Theory, Culture & Society. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/0263276413476542
Ben-Daya, M., Hassini, E., & Bahroun, Z. (2019). Internet of things and supply chain management: a literature review. International Journal of Production Research, 57(15–16), 4719–4742.
Bisektör. (2024). Yapay zekayı akıllıca kullanan perakende şirketleri. Available at: https://www.bisektor.com/yapay-zekayi-akillica-kullanan-perakende-sirketleri/.
Boote, D. N., & Beile, P. (2005). Scholars before researchers: On the centrality of the dissertation literature review in research preparation. Educational Researcher, 34(6), 3–15.
BSR. (2016). Center for technology and sustainability: Orion technology UPS. Available at: https://www.bsr.org/en/case-studies/center-for-technology-and-sustainability-orion-technology-ups.
Casino, F., Dasaklis, T. K., & Patsakis, C. (2019). A systematic literature review of blockchain-based applications: Current status, classification and open issues. Telematics and Informatics, 36, 55–81.
Cesur, M. (2024). Dijital dönüşüm ve yapay zekâ: Tedarik zincirlerinde devrim yaratmak. Available at: https://www.lojistikhatti.com/haber/2024/11/dijital-donusum-ve-yapay-zeka-tedarik-zincirlerinde-devrim-yaratmak.
Chavan, D. (2024). How FedEx uses IT and AI to manage its global shipping and logistics network. Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-fedex-uses-ai-manage-its-global-shipping-logistics-deepak-chavan-7pbcf/.
Choi, T., Wallace, S. W., & Wang, Y. (2018). Big data analytics in operations management. Production and Operations Management, 27(10), 1868–1883.
CNBC. (2023). How Walmart is using AI to make shopping better. Available at: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/27/how-walmart-is-using-ai-to-make-shopping-better.html.
CNBC. (2024). How Amazon is using generative AI to drive more same-day deliveries. Available at: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/17/how-amazon-is-using-generative-ai-to-drive-more-same-day-deliveries.html.
CPCON. (2024). Walmart RFID mandate: What you need to know. Available at: https://cpcongroup.com/walmart-rfid-mandate/.
DB Schenker. (2024). DB Schenker Arkas: Yenilenebilir enerji kaynakları yatırımlarımıza devam ediyor. Available at: https://solargundem.com/haber-db-schenker-arkas-yenilenebilir-enerji-kaynaklari-yatirimlarimiza-devam-ediyor-957.
Dekker, R., Bloemhof, J., & Mallidis, I. (2012). Operations Research for green logistics–An overview of aspects, issues, contributions and challenges. European Journal of Operational Research, 219(3), 671–679.
DHL. (2019). Harnessing the power of IoT for the logistics industry. Available at: https://lot.dhl.com/harnessing-the-power-of-iot-for-the-logistics-industry/.
Dobrovnik, M., Herold, D. M., Fürst, E., & Kummer, S. (2018). Blockchain for and in Logistics: What to adopt and where to start. Logistics, 2(3), 18.
Francisco, K., & Swanson, D. (2018). The supply chain has no clothes: Technology adoption of blockchain for supply chain transparency. Logistics, 2(1), 2.
Glaessgen, E., & Stargel, D. (2012). The digital twin paradigm for future NASA and US Air Force vehicles. 53rd AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics and Materials Conference 20th AIAA/ASME/AHS Adaptive Structures Conference 14th AIAA, 1818.
Green, B. N., Johnson, C. D., & Adams, A. (2006). Writing narrative literature reviews for peer-reviewed journals: secrets of the trade. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine, 5(3), 101–117.
Gubbi, J., Buyya, R., Marusic, S., & Palaniswami, M. (2013). Internet of Things (IoT): A vision, architectural elements, and future directions. Future Generation Computer Systems, 29(7), 1645–1660.
Gunasekaran, A., Papadopoulos, T., Dubey, R., Wamba, S. F., Childe, S. J., Hazen, B., & Akter, S. (2017). Big data and predictive analytics for supply chain and organizational performance. Journal of Business Research, 70, 308–317.
Hofman, H. (2023). The game-changing potential of 5G in logistics. Available at: https://www.maersk.com/insights/growth/2023/01/17/the-potential-of-5g-in-logistics.
Holland, C., Levis, J., Nuggehalli, R., Santilli, B., & Winters, J. (2017). UPS optimizes delivery routes. Interfaces, 47(1), 8-23.
Hughes, L., Dwivedi, Y. K., Misra, S. K., Rana, N. P., Raghavan, V., & Akella, V. (2019). Blockchain research, practice and policy: Applications, benefits, limitations, emerging research themes and research agenda. International Journal of Information Management, 49, 114–129.
Ivanov, D., & Dolgui, A. (2021). A digital supply chain twin for managing the disruption risks and resilience in the era of Industry 4.0. Production Planning & Control, 32(9), 775–788.
Ivanov, D., Dolgui, A., & Sokolov, B. (2019). The impact of digital technology and Industry 4.0 on the ripple effect and supply chain risk analytics. International Journal of Production Research, 57(3), 829–846.
Ivanov, D., Tsipoulanidis, A., Schönberger, J., Ivanov, D., Tsipoulanidis, A., & Schönberger, J. (2019). Digital supply chain, smart operations and industry 4.0. Global Supply Chain and Operations Management: A Decision-Oriented Introduction to the Creation of Value, 481–526.
Kamble, S., Gunasekaran, A., & Dhone, N. C. (2020). Industry 4.0 and lean manufacturing practices for sustainable organisational performance in Indian manufacturing companies. International Journal of Production Research, 58(5), 1319–1337.
Kamilaris, A., Fonts, A., & Prenafeta-Boldύ, F. X. (2019). The rise of blockchain technology in agriculture and food supply chains. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 91, 640–652.
Karabay, H. (2024). Lojistik ve tedarik zincirinde dijital dönüşüm. In U. Erdoğan (Ed.), Güncel uluslararası ticaret uygulamaları. Özgür Yayınları.
Kouhizadeh, M., & Sarkis, J. (2021). Blockchain practices potentials and perspectives in greening supply chains. Sustainable Industrial Engineering along Product-Service Life Cycle/Supply Chain, 307.
Kshetri, N. (2018). 1 Blockchain’s roles in meeting key supply chain management objectives. International Journal of Information Management, 39, 80–89.
Lee, J., Bagheri, B., & Kao, H.-A. (2015). A cyber-physical systems architecture for industry 4.0-based manufacturing systems. Manufacturing Letters, 3, 18–23.
Leogrande, A. (2024). Integrating ESG principles into smart logistics: Toward sustainable supply chains. Munich Personal RePEc Archive. MPRA Paper No. 122690. Available at https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/122690/
Lowry Solutions. (2022). The Walmart RFID mandate: What you need to know. Available at: https://lowrysolutions.com/blog/the-walmart-rfid-mandate-what-you-need-to-know/.
McKinnon, A. (2018). Decarbonizing logistics: Distributing goods in a low carbon world. Kogan Page Publishers.
Muradoğlu, C. (2022). Elektrikli ticari araç üreticisi Evage, 28 milyon dolar yatırım aldı. Available at: https://webrazzi.com/2022/01/14/elektrikli-ticari-arac-ureticisi-evage-28-milyon-dolar-yatirim-aldi/.
Negri, E., Fumagalli, L., & Macchi, M. (2017). A review of the roles of digital twin in CPS-based production systems. Procedia Manufacturing, 11, 939–948.
Nestlé (2023). Sustainability at Nestlé. Available at: https://www.nestle.com/sustainability.
Porter, M. E. (1985). Creating and sustaining superior performance. The Free Press.
Saberi, S., Kouhizadeh, M., Sarkis, J., & Shen, L. (2019). Blockchain technology and its relationships to sustainable supply chain management. International Journal of Production Research, 57(7), 2117–2135.
Sarac, A., Absi, N., & Dauzère-Pérès, S. (2010). A literature review on the impact of RFID technologies on supply chain management. International Journal of Production Economics, 128(1), 77–95.
Schleich, B., Anwer, N., Mathieu, L., & Wartzack, S. (2017). Shaping the digital twin for design and production engineering. CIRP Annals, 66(1), 141–144.
Syntek. (2024). RFID technology reduces UPS misinstallation rate. Available at: https://tr.syntekrfid.net/news/rfid-technology-reduces-ups-misinstallation-ra-79501163.html.
Tao, F., Zhang, H., Liu, A., & Nee, A. Y. C. (2018). Digital twin in industry: State-of-the-art. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, 15(4), 2405–2415.
Tesla. (2024). Tesla Semi. Available at: https://www.tesla.com/semi.
The Wall Street Journal. (2016). The algorithm behind UPS Orion technology. Available at: https://partners.wsj.com/ups/the-algorithm-behind-ups-orion-technology/.
Trackingfox. (2023). Impact of 5G on fleet management and logistics: Real-world applications. Available at: https://www.trackingfox.com/2023/09/09/impact-of-5g-on-fleet-management-and-logistics-real-world-applications/.
Truby, J. (2018). Decarbonizing Bitcoin: Law and policy choices for reducing the energy consumption of Blockchain technologies and digital currencies. Energy Research & Social Science, 44, 399–410.
Uhlemann, T. H.-J., Lehmann, C., & Steinhilper, R. (2017). The digital twin: Realizing the cyber-physical production system for industry 4.0. Procedia Cirp, 61, 335–340.
UTİKAD. (2024). DHL ve Google uluslararası sürdürülebilir taşımacılık için iş birliği yapıyor. Available at: https://www.utikad.org.tr/Detay/Sektor-Haberleri/36327/dhl-ve-google-uluslararasi-surdurulebilir-tasimacilik-icin-is-birligi-yapiyor.
Waller, M. A., & Fawcett, S. E. (2013). Data science, predictive analytics, and big data: a revolution that will transform supply chain design and management. In Journal of Business logistics (Vol. 34, Issue 2, pp. 77–84). Wiley Online Library.
Walmart. (2023). Product supply chain sustainability. Available at: https://corporate.walmart.com/purpose/esgreport/environmental/product-supply-chain-sustainability.
Walmart. (2024). Walmart reveals plan for scaling artificial intelligence, generative AI, augmented reality, and immersive commerce experiences. Available at: https://corporate.walmart.com/news/2024/10/09/walmart-reveals-plan-for-scaling-artificial-intelligence-generative-ai-augmented-reality-and-immersive-commerce-experiences.
Wang, Y., Han, J. H., & Beynon-Davies, P. (2019). Understanding blockchain technology for future supply chains: a systematic literature review and research agenda. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 24(1), 62–84.
Want, R. (2006). An introduction to RFID technology. IEEE Pervasive Computing, 5(1), 25–33.
Yadav, A. (2024). 5G and IoT: The dynamic duo transforming warehouse management. Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/5g-iot-dynamic-duo-transforming-warehouse-management-ashish-ycerc/.
Zanella, A., Bui, N., Castellani, A., Vangelista, L., & Zorzi, M. (2014). Internet of things for smart cities. IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 1(1), 22–32.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 EUROASIA JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.