Sustainable solutions in first and last mile logistics: potential benefits and barriers

Abstract

Last mile logistics (LML) is a very complex and inefficient part of logistics, thus this subject is often studied in the literature. The subject of first mile logistics (FML) is also gaining interest, as its complexity is increasing due to the growth of e-commerce. The objective of this thesis is to identify first and last mile solutions that could improve the sustainability of these segments of logistics. First, key performance indicators (KPIs) that can be used to measure the sustainability of the first and last mile were identified and classified based on the three aspects of sustainability: economic, environmental and social. Many of these indicators, such as the distance traveled and the CO2 emissions, are interrelated and can influence each other. Then, several solutions were highlighted: crowdshipping, parcel lockers, electric vehicles (EVs), cargo bikes, urban consolidation centers (UCCs) and passenger/freight transport integration. For each solution, the benefits, KPIs impacted and barriers to its implementation were identified. The results were obtained by analyzing the literature, and were validated and supplemented by qualitative interviews with several logistics operators. In practice, several solutions, such as electric vehicles and cargo bikes, can be used for the first mile pickup, especially in the context of reverse logistics. We can also observe that these solutions are often combined. Finally, in the conclusion, the key results are summarized, the limitations of this thesis are presented and areas for future research are suggested.