Who controls transport emissions and who cares? Investigating the monitoring of environmental sustainability from a logistics service provider’s perspective

Purpose: This article explores the environmental impact of l ogistics service provider (LSP) activities in the light of customer priorities and the fragmen tation of the road haulage industry in Europe. It also explores the extent to which LSPs can actually monitor the environmental impact of logistics activities in the supply chain.
Design/methodology/approach: The research is based on a narrative literature rev iew, an interview study, a case survey and three in-depth case studies. A framework on sustain ability challenges in supply chains, derived from the literature, is used to structure a
nd analyse the findings.
Findings: Despite the ambitious environmental schemes communicated by several LSPs, they show little interest in, and exert little control over, the actual emissions generated from their transport operations. It is clear from our results that any real concern from customers for
environmental solutions which negatively influence the cost and time requirements of logistics services are not yet a reality.
Research limitations/implications (if applicable): This paper implies that LSP sustainability cannot be investigated in isolation if a company does not manage its proprietary resources (like owning trucks and employing drivers), but rather engage subcontractors.
Practical implications (if applicable): Environmental policies among different LSPs appear to be similar as policies, but differ in
practice. This variation of practices emphasises the importance of follow-up control by environmentally aware buyers of logistics services.
Original/value:This paper represents a novel approach as to how LS
P environmental policies should be viewed. It highlights the concrete need for action to achieve the environmental targets of 2020 and 2050 for carbon emissions from road transportation.