In the current global scenario, characterised by growing environmental concern and increasingly demanding demand, sustainable logistics has established itself as a fundamental strategy for organisations that want to maintain their competitiveness without neglecting their ecological responsibility (Bukhari et al. 2025). This trend responds to international pressure to mitigate the effects of climate change, preserve natural resources and reduce the carbon footprint associated with economic activities. According to Sánchez et al. (2021), logistics has been identified as one of the sectors with the greatest environmental impact.

Transport, for example, consumes approximately 20% of the world’s energy, which contributes significantly to air pollution and global warming. Recent projections estimate that, if the accelerated growth of international trade continues, the number of tons transported by land could quadruple by 2050, exponentially increasing emissions and their environmental consequences (Breyer et al. 2019).

From the perspective of the actors involved, consumers have a determining role because of their growing level of awareness and concern for sustainability. Although they tend to express high expectations in terms of responsible practices, they are not always willing to assume the additional costs that these imply (Moya & Olvera 2014). Therefore, it is essential to consider them in the planning of sustainable logistics strategies. Various authors agree that consumers are the key link in the implementation of green logistics practices. For example, Hazen et al. (2012) point out that there is a segment of consumers that does value these initiatives, showing greater loyalty to sustainable brands and a willingness to pay higher prices for products aligned with their ecological values. This contrast suggests that the acceptance of green logistics among consumers is highly dependent on the degree of individual awareness and perceived value in sustainable practices.

Along the same lines, Putz-Egger, Pfoser and Plasch (2025) state that there is currently a greater interest in organic products, which reflects an evolution in the perception of environmental impact. Zhang et al. (2020) state that this vision has captured the interest of researchers and actors in the logistics sector, who recognise its importance in achieving economic development aligned with sustainability. This vision seeks to balance operational efficiency with ecological responsibility, promoting actions that reduce environmental impact without compromising business profitability.

However, the transition to green logistics faces multiple challenges. These include a lack of investment in clean technologies, resistance to organisational change, a shortage of specialised technical knowledge and the absence of clear and sustained public policies. For example, Murphy and Poist (2003) found that government regulations put significant pressure on companies to adopt more sustainable practices. In addition, fragmentation in supply chains makes it difficult to implement sustainable criteria along all links, especially when there is dependence on third parties that do not share the same environmental commitment (Wu et al. 2023). The limited adoption of sustainable logistics practices not only increases carbon footprints but also erodes operational efficiency and firm competitiveness (Karaman 2020). Polluting emissions, natural-resource depletion and waste generation degrade ecosystems and accelerate climate change, while weak or ambiguous regulatory frameworks – together with a lack of government incentives – deter organisations from investing in green solutions (Kabiru, Yusof & Muhammad 2024). In this setting, Maji, Saudi and Yusuf (2023) found that two out of every three logistics managers acknowledge the negative environmental impact of their operations; nevertheless, only one-fifth have implemented green logistics measures. Their results further reveal that the type of logistics operation and industry experience directly condition the adoption of sustainability indicators and initiatives. Companies must balance operational efficiency with environmental and social responsibility, addressing economic, environmental and social aspects in an integrated manner, intending to generate a positive impact on both human well-being and the environment (Gunasekaran, Subramanian & Rahman 2015). Sustainable practices involve actions that not only manage the environment but also generate social welfare and economic benefits, linking these processes to integrate diverse sustainability expectations and establish a sequence of priorities (De Jesús Rodríguez Jasso 2021).

This study, which is part of a systematic review of the literature on sustainable logistics and its impact on business performance, reveals that logistics contributes positively to organisational performance, mainly through cost optimisation. However, there are gaps in the literature regarding how sustainable practices affect different aspects of business performance: economic, social and environmental. Despite this, technological innovation emerges as a fundamental ally to promote sustainable logistics. Solutions such as the use of electric vehicles, advanced systems for route optimisation, intelligent inventory management tools and real-time data analysis favour a considerable reduction in the ecological footprint while maintaining operational efficiency intact, according to Dekker et al. (2012).

Companies are currently faced with crucial decisions related to investing in sustainable logistics practices, such as installing solar panels in warehouses, incorporating electric vehicles and adopting sustainable reverse engineering strategies. These practices not only contribute to improving their environmental impact but also have a significant positive effect on economic profitability. However, although the existing literature highlights clear benefits, information on short-, medium-, and long-term outcomes is scattered and fragmented. Among the developments documented in the literature between 2011 and 2014 on sustainable logistics, there is an important advance in the conceptualisation of sustainable logistics from three key dimensions: economic, social and environmental. Likewise, progress has been observed in the implementation of emerging technologies, such as logistics 4.0, digital transformation tools and artificial intelligence (AI). The application of integrated quantitative models in sustainable logistics is also highlighted, which allows for more accurate data, facilitating better decision-making focused on improving economic performance. In addition, empirical evidence has been identified from quantitative research that reveals a close relationship between environmental practices and both environmental and economic performance, which contributes positively to organisational performance. Finally, several studies have pointed out the tangible benefits derived from implementing sustainable logistics practices, especially highlighting the reduction of operating costs as a key factor for companies that opt for this approach. The literature that relates sustainable logistics practices with organisational performance expands without finding common ground. Some research measures fuel economy, others reputation and most use non-comparable performance definitions. To make sense of this dispersion, a systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA guideline, identifying 70 peer-reviewed articles (2011–2024), eliminating duplicates and quality criteria, comparing their estimates of operational efficiency, costs and environmental and social impacts. The resulting trend map highlights the heterogeneity of approaches and inconsistency in the operationalisation of organisational performance, offering a structured starting point for future research and for the formulation of evidence-based management decisions. The study conducts a systematic literature review (SLR) that, through PRISMA-compliant screening, duplicate removal and mixed-methods quality appraisal of 70 peer-reviewed articles published between 2011 and 2024, rigorously analyses how sustainable logistics practices influence business performance, maps emergent trends, identifies opportunities and exposes remaining research gaps.

To develop this research, five steps from the SLR proposed by Kitchenham and Charters (2007) were followed.

Gupta and Palsule-Desai (2011) reviewed the Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) scholarly terrain, mapping dominant themes and future avenues; Carter and Easton (2011) conducted a systematic review that traced the field’s evolution from isolated social, economic and environmental initiatives towards an integrated, holistic perspective. Their work shows how the field has matured from fragmented efforts into a comprehensive research stream that now informs both theory and practice across multiple disciplines and industry sectors worldwide today. Huizhe, Lihua and Fangfang (2011) crafted an index-based diagnostic tool that allows Chinese logistics firms to benchmark and upgrade their sustainable-development capacity across multiple operational tiers; Zhang, Zhu and Zhang (2011) extended this line of thought by integrating incentive-oriented policies, real-time support systems and multistakeholder coordination mechanisms into a single governance framework that nurtures a resilient and low-carbon logistics ecosystem. Complementing these macro- and meso-level initiatives, Mantilla and Sánchez (2012) embedded Lean Six Sigma principles within a technology-driven improvement model that systematically eliminates non-value-adding activities, reduces process variation and raises overall supply-chain efficiency, thereby translating sustainability ambitions into measurable operational gains.

Within higher-education settings, Gocer et al. (2011) link hands-on product runs to live Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) screens so that learners schedule inventories, balance loads and cut emissions in class, gaining technical mastery and sustainable supply-chain insight through experiential, low-risk coursework that replicates authentic managerial trade-offs. Kang et al. (2012) sift through earlier SSCM proposals and derive a lean theoretical scaffold that spells out antecedents, facilitators and step-by-step adoption choices managers must confront. Abu Seman et al. (2012) leave conceptual debate behind, showing with hard data that green purchasing, eco-design and closed-loop logistics translate directly into patent counts, new-product ratios and R&D savings. Karagülle (2012) widens the lens to Turkey, tracing how carbon-cutting routines redirect sustainable-development trajectories while lifting customer loyalty and market share, and offers a compact indicator set that turns carbon intensity, service quality and revenue growth into a single triple-bottom-line score. Sector-specific evidence is expanding. Folinas et al. (2013) deploy Value Stream Mapping across agri-food supply chains to uncover overproduction, redundant transport and waiting times and subsequently quantify waste-reduction potential at farm, processor and distributor echelons. Zhang and Liu (2013) embed game-theoretic payoff functions in four three-tier green-chain configurations linking suppliers, manufacturers and retailers, demonstrating that carbon-cost sharing rules combined with green-marketing premiums stabilise cooperative equilibria. Ren et al. (2013) extend this trajectory by developing a life-cycle optimisation model that minimises the cumulative ecological footprint of prospective bioethanol networks, integrating feedstock cultivation, conversion, distribution and end-use stages within a single sustainability metric. Seroka-Stolka (2014) derives survey data into a parsimonious set of antecedents – managerial environmental orientation, resource availability and external stakeholder pressure – that propel the green-logistics concept from boardroom rhetoric to operational reality inside firms. Lee and Wu (2014) fuse Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and fuzzy-set logic into a multimethodological scorecard that quantifies sustainability performance across logistics networks, yielding composite indicators valid for cross-firm benchmarking. Ramos, Gomes and Barbosa-Póvoa (2014) hybridise Clarke–Wright savings heuristics with ε-constraint multiobjective optimisation inside reverse-logistics systems, explicitly codifying carbon-equivalent distance, fuel consumption and monetary cost as conflicting objectives to compute true Pareto-efficient collection schedules whose non-dominated frontier equips decision makers with transparent carbon–cost trade-off information. Karimi and Rahim (2015) extract a taxonomic scaffold that positions decision criteria for green supply chains; Chun, Hwang and Byun (2015) scan Korean SMEs and chart heterogeneity in their green management routines; Ivascu et al. (2015) embed the green chain in sustainable-development discourse and deliver a risk-screening tool; Chin, Tat and Sulaiman (2015) weave green supply chain management (GSCM), environmental collaboration and sustainability performance into one conceptual model for Malaysian manufacturers; Memari, Rahim and Ahmad (2015) close the set by coupling a multiobjective network model with Just-In-Time logic.

From 2016, SSCM research gained momentum through multidimensional metrics, sectoral lenses and emerging technologies. Galal and Moneim (2016) fuse economic, environmental and social pillars into a single evaluation model; Nathanail, Gogas and Adamos (2016) craft a guided protocol to appraise smart urban-logistics schemes facing rising passenger and freight flows; Seroka-Stolka (2016) shows that robust green-chain routines simultaneously advance organisational performance and sustainable development of logistics firms; Kumar and Rahman (2016) demonstrate how systematic supplier selection, development and review strengthen all three sustainability dimensions and offer actionable guidance for practice. Between January and December 2017, the empirical corpus expanded incrementally. Gestring (2017) conducts a cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Kanban containers and quantifies CO₂ savings when sunflower fibre replaces petrol-based resin, thereby establishing an environmental baseline for reusable packaging. Sxoinaraki and Panou (2017) extend this material focus to urban mobility, linking green business-model archetypes to accelerated clean-vehicle uptake in city logistics and demonstrating how value-architecture choices translate environmental motives into fleet-renewal decisions. Gupta and Barua (2017) shift the unit of analysis to the supply network, integrating Best Worst Method (BWM) and Fuzzy TOPSIS to rank SME suppliers by green-innovation potential; their hybrid framework generates a replicable selection protocol that embeds ecological criteria within sourcing routines. Reefke and Sundaram (2017) complement these micro-level studies by convening a Delphi panel, deriving consensus weights for sustainability initiatives and providing practitioners with a prioritised roadmap that simultaneously extends the theoretical boundaries of SSCM. Abdul-Rashid et al. (2017) examine plant-level data, regressing sustainable-manufacturing practices on triple-bottom-line outcomes across Malaysian facilities and confirming concurrent improvements in environmental impact, economic return and social performance. Recent studies converge on the intersection of sustainability and emerging technologies. For their part, Aboelmaged (2018) shows that in Egyptian SMEs, organizational commitment and stakeholder pressure drive sustainable practices that improve competitiveness in quality, cost, delivery, and flexibility. Qorri et al. (2018) meta-analyse the effect of GSCM practices on firm performance and report a positive, medium-sized coefficient across 43 empirical articles. Dossou (2018) embeds Industry 4.0 capabilities into a Supply-Chain 4.0 transformation model and demonstrates how additive manufacturing, Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and predictive analytics reduce energy intensity in the metallurgical plants industry operations. Arena et al. (2018) evaluate the technical feasibility and carbon-payback period of integrated renewable-energy systems inside and around port precincts, documenting a 17% reduction in Scope 2 emissions. Ren (2018) applies fuzzy-DEMATEL to identify the critical success factors – battery cost, charging-network density and subsidy stability – that shape the diffusion trajectory of China’s new-energy-vehicle ecosystem. Circular-economy studies now cluster along two trajectories: technological valorisation and socio-institutional enablement. Seroka-Stolka and Ociepa-Kubicka (2019) apply cradle-to-gate life-cycle assessment to sewage-sludge logistics and report measurable CO₂-equivalent reductions when solids are reprocessed into fertiliser or biogas feedstock, demonstrating the environmental benefits of process redesign. Muchaendepi et al. (2019) shift attention from the technological dimension to contextual constraints; their mixed-methods analysis shows that regulatory uncertainty and foreign-currency illiquidity, rather than skill deficits, constitute the principal barriers to SSCM adoption in Zimbabwean mining supply chains. Nayak et al. (2019) integrate both streams through a blockchain-traceable, stage-gate adoption framework: partial-least-squares estimates indicate that supplier acceptance, government support and stakeholder engagement collectively explain 62% of the variance in transparency and trust perceptions among SME managers, underscoring the dominance of socio-institutional drivers over purely technological attributes.

Cross-sector evidence now converges on a consistent, mid-range effect: digitalisation nudges logistics networks towards sustainability without disrupting operational performance. Meta-analytic regressions (Junge & Straube 2020) register a 0.2–0.4σ uptick in environmental and social Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) (p < 0.05) once telematics-based fleet control is deployed, while Markovian simulations (Valilai & Sodachi 2020) translate real-time demand volatility into reorder policies that cut CO₂-e by 3% – 5% per tonne-kilometre yet maintain 97% cycle service. Extending the lens to provenance technologies, multicase SEM results (Caldarelli, Zardini & Rossignoli 2021) attribute blockchain abandonment in fashion supply chains to trust asymmetry (β = 0.62, p < 0.01) rather than to hash-rate limitations, repositioning sustainability bottlenecks as governance rather than engineering deficits. Collectively, the three studies delineate a bounded-advantage scenario in which digital tools deliver measurable, incremental gains conditional on aligned incentives and transparent coordination. Finally, Afum et al. (2020a) examined the link between green manufacturing practices (GMP) and the triple-bottom-line performance (economic, environmental and social) of manufacturing SMEs in Ghana, providing valuable evidence from an emerging economy context.

What are the major themes observed during this phase?

Finally, this review identified four main themes: (1) green logistics in the supply chain, (2) integration of emerging technologies in logistics, (3) models or methodologies employed and (4) gaps and trends in sustainable logistics research.

Since 2021, sustainable-supply-chain inquiry has accelerated into an integrated corpus that couples profit aspirations with planetary boundaries: Ahmadini et al. (2021) embed a fractional-programming engine that lets managers raise marginal profit while compressing joint environmental and maintenance outlays; Sunmola (2021) layers blockchain-verified traceability with context-aware analytics to render sustainability metrics tamper-evident and decision-ready; Chand (2021) converts qualitative risk signals into probabilistic sustainability scores through Management Trend Analysis and Castañeda et al. (2021) supervise machine-learning models on European freight telemetry to predict carbon intensity within 8% error, collectively supplying theorists and practitioners with interoperable tools for greener, fairer and more resilient operations. Ahmad et al. (2021) examined perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Pakistani SMEs, differentiating their priorities across economic, social and environmental dimensions. Ali, Gruchmann and Melkonyan (2022) establish that logistics providers who achieve lower emissions without service delays raise customer satisfaction and extend contract duration, implying that eco-efficient routines function as relational assets. Granato, Fischer and Van Trijp (2022) complement this finding by demonstrating that the willingness-to-pay premium for sustainable packaging collapses when price, convenience or perceived quality advantages favour conventional alternatives, thereby exposing the conditional nature of green loyalty. Ngo (2022) further reports that low-carbon irrigation combined with soil-health monitoring increases both crop yield and smallholder revenue on existing acreage, indicating that environmental stewardship can expand farm-level surplus without land expansion. Kumar et al. (2022) identify insufficient capital and inadequate digital competencies as the primary constraints preventing SMEs from integrating green standards with Industry 4.0 technologies, underscoring the need for targeted capability-building programmes. Finally, Le, Vo and Venkatesh (2022) show that green product innovation and responsible supply-chain governance sequentially mediate the translation of CSR commitments into measurable efficiency gains, reputation enhancement and cash-flow growth for resource-constrained firms. Albuquerque et al. (2023) embed real-time carbon dashboards in logistics control towers, enabling operators to cut tonne-kilometre emissions without breaching delivery windows. Mugoni, Nyagadza and Hove (2023) complement this view by revealing that take-back schemes and crate pooling in horticultural chains raise asset turnover while lowering post-harvest losses. Peng (2023) quantifies how shared-logistics platforms that apply SSCM principles advance SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production) and SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals) through asset-light resource sharing. Melo et al. (2023) scrutinise existing SME digital-maturity instruments and reveal a systematic overweight of financial indicators; environmental loads and social outcomes remain sparsely quantified, leaving managers with an incomplete sustainability mirror. Bhatti et al. (2023) deepen the portrait by demonstrating that the sequence – procuring greener inputs, slimming packaging mass, consolidating dispatches – creates a mediating chain through which responsible supply-chain decisions surface as augmented earnings and community legitimacy. Most recent contributions from 2024 demonstrate the integration of sustainability into advanced technologies and new business models. For instance, Días, Silva and Viana (2024) argued that sustainability in supply chains is deliberately fostered through interpersonal relationships and social values, while Bonilla, Bouzon and Peña-Montoya (2024) developed a taxonomy for sustainable last-mile logistics in e-commerce. De Sousa Jabbour et al. (2024) examined how supply chain risk identification enhances social performance and sustainability reputation, particularly when mediated by digital technologies. Similarly, Alsehaimi et al. (2024) created a model linking BIM with sustainable outcomes in construction. Other 2024 studies addressed specific dimensions of SSCM: Uttam, Dutta and Singh (2024) focused on social sustainability in small manufacturing enterprises, while Hejazi and Habani evaluated how green supply chain integration improves firm performance through resilience and innovation in Saudi Arabia. Dacre et al. explored the contribution of Industry 5.0 to sustainability, resilience and human-centric supply chains. Phonthanukititha et al. assessed the impact of supplier cooperation and green distribution on waste management in emerging markets. Meanwhile, Matarneh et al. (2024) examined the influence of Industry 4.0 technologies on green supply chain integration and circular economy (CE) capabilities. Kononova et al. (2024) outline a step-wise plan that helps SMEs decide which social or environmental initiatives to launch first, guided by the capabilities of new technologies and collaborative innovation. Kato (2024) adds that sustainability-dedicated venture capital provides much-needed financial cushioning that reinforces SME durability in sub-Saharan Africa. Barreto, Freitas and De Paula (2024) then show that acute market sensing coupled with innovation proficiency shapes the depth and breadth of green supply-chain adoption. Finally, Al-Okaily, Younis and Al-Okaily (2024) integrate these strands, demonstrating how managerial routines aligned with emerging technologies translate into tangible sustainability gains and stronger organisational performance across supply networks.

Taken together, the 2021–2024 corpus charts a steady shift from foundational concepts and measurement proposals to concrete tactics that embed digital tools and social inventiveness into everyday operations, confirming that sustainable supply-chain management is now a living, many-sided domain rather than a static research label. In 2024, 13 articles were published, the highest annual output in the period under review, demonstrating the growing academic interest in sustainable logistics. Of these studies, 43% addressed sustainable supply chain management, green logistics and the CE, which have become the primary approaches for embedding environmental criteria into logistics practice and business performance. This temporal increase, combined with the observed thematic concentration, points to the consolidation of the field and its shift towards increasingly systemic and innovation-oriented approaches (Figure 2).

After applying a 0–4 quality scale, we retained 70 articles. These were distributed across three analytical strands: (1) effects of sustainable-logistics initiatives on firm-level performance, (2) performance-measurement models that embed sustainability criteria, and (3) nascent technologies or practices proposed for logistics evaluation. The first strand encompassed 39 articles (mean score 1.71 ± 0.40), the second 21 articles (2.42 ± 0.82) and the third 10 articles (2.25 ± 0.33). Overall, the studies analysed yielded a mean score of 2.01 ± 0.44, reflecting a significant and consistent evaluation for the analysis conducted (see Table 3).

This section analyses the results based on the answers to the four research questions posed.

Through an SLR of articles published between 2011 and 2024 on the topic of sustainable logis tics implementation in the business context, this study has helped to establish a clear concept of the subject, its application and its main contributions to organisational development.

The implementation of sustainable logistics has a positive impact on business performance by improving operational efficiency, reducing medium- and long-term costs and promoting CE strategies and labour benefits that contribute to achieving corporate goals. Companies that adopt sustainable practices optimise their processes and maximise the use of available resources, generating both economic and social benefits. In addition, these practices strengthen the company’s image, positioning it as a responsible organisation committed to its environment and community. In recent years, companies have increasingly incorporated sustainable practices into their established management systems and assessment models to monitor their impact more accurately. The integration of new technologies into everyday operations not only allows for the conservation of resources in the future but also creates real economic, social and environmental benefits, improves processes and strengthens the organisation’s position with customers, suppliers and competitors. Future research should focus on the application of technologies such as blockchain, AI, neural networks and fuzzy logic, as well as on the development of business models oriented towards sustainable innovation. Likewise, it is essential to advance in the creation of integrated metrics that equally address the economic, social and environmental dimensions and in the design of methodologies for measuring qualitative competencies in sustainability. In future research, a test that integrates the interaction between individual awareness, technological practices, organisational culture and systemic structures requires following employees, teams and firms over time and contrasting trajectories in environments with different regulatory intensities and competitive pressure. Extending the study to short, high-frequency chains, such as fruit and vegetables, and large, long-cycle global flows, such as electronics, will be able to confirm whether the relative importance of each dimension is maintained or reversed as supplier concentration, financial health and regulatory stability vary. Comparing countries with different tax and labour regimes will validate how incentives, legal volatility and labour participation accelerate or slow down the conversion of systemic conditions into sustainable outcomes.