Cheng, Haoyu; Chaudh y, Hassan Rau ; Kazi, I an; Uma , Muhammad
A icle
Unlocking g eene supply chains: A global inno a i e
pe spec i e on he ole o logis ics pe o mance in
educing ecological oo p in s
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge (JIK)
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Sugges ed Ci a ion: Cheng, Haoyu; Chaudh y, Hassan Rau ; Kazi, I an; Uma , Muhammad
(2024) : Unlocking g eene supply chains: A global inno a i e pe spec i e on he ole o logis ics
pe o mance in educing ecological oo p in s, Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge (JIK), ISSN
2444-569X, Else ie , Ams e dam, Vol. 9, Iss. 4, pp. 1-10,
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.jik.2024.100612
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Unlocking g eene supply chains: A global inno a i e pe spec i e on he
ole o logis ics pe o mance in educing ecological oo p in s
Haoyu Cheng
a
, Hassan Rau Chaudh y
b
, I an Kazi
c
, Muhammad Uma
d,*
a
School o Managemen , Shandong Uni e si y, Shandong, China
b
Suleman Dawood School o Business, Laho e Uni e si y o Managemen Sciences, Laho e, Pakis an
c
Op ions Clea ing Co po a ion, USA
d
Depa men o Finance & Accoun ing, Adnan Kassa School o Business, Lebanese Ame ican Uni e si y, Bei u , Lebanon
ARTICLE INFO
JEL classi ica ion:
L91
Q56
R41
M11
F18
Keywo ds:
Logis ic pe o mance
Supply chain
En i onmen al quali y
Ecological oo p in
ABSTRACT
One o he signi ican challenges o achie eing he G een Supply Chain Managemen objec i es is he ecological
oo p in associa ed wi h se e al logis ics ope a ions. In his s udy, we examine he impac o coun ies’ logis ics
pe o mance on en i onmen al quali y. Fo his pu pose, he s udy collec ed da a om a panel o 43 global
economies o e he pe iod o 2010–2016. We used a composi e index o logis ics pe o mance (LPI) o e alua e
logis ics pe o mance and he ecological oo p in (EFP) o assess en i onmen al quali y ac oss di e se coun ies.
Ou esul s indica e ha imp o emen s in logis ics pe o mance a e signi ican ly associa ed wi h educ ions in
ecological oo p in s a e con olling he e ec s o GDP, impo s, expo s, and adjus ed ne na ional income.
These esul s a e p omising, and ou indings highligh ha al hough LPI ini ially in ends o ack he logis ics
pe o mance wi hou any conside a ion o he en i onmen al conce ns, mos o i s dimensions a e indi ec ly
cap u ing hese conce ns. These esul s compel policymake s o pay special a en ion o logis ics pe o mance,
which is undoub edly one o he mos signi ican segmen s o global supply chains and may ha e he po en ial o
make hese supply chains g eene and mo e en i onmen ally iendly.
In oduc ion
Logis ic pe o mance se es as a leading indica o o he o e all
p oduc i i y o a coun y. I signi ican ly con ibu es o e alua ing he
quali y and pe o mance o he o e all supply chain (Rashidi & Cull-
inane, 2019). Logis ics encompasses he planning and managing he
low o esou ces, including he coo dina ion and mo emen o ma e-
ials, goods, and p oduc s h ough he supply chain om acquisi ion o
deli e y (Khan e al., 2019). On he one hand, logis ic ac i i ies play an
impe a i e ole in shaping he na ion’s economic p og ess by enabling
he e icien mo emen o p oduc s. On he o he hand, i c i ically
impac s he en i onmen (Khan e al., 2017; Magazzino e al., 2021). I is
wo h men ioning he e ha logis ic ac i i ies p oduce massi e amoun s
o g eenhouse gas emissions (GHG), cha ac e ized by high ene gy de-
mand (Rashidi & Cullinane, 2019; Uma e al., 2021). As pe e idence,
logis ic ope a ions accoun o app oxima ely 22 % sha e in global ai
pollu ion, which is expec ed o g ow in he nea u u e (Rehman Khan
e al., 2018). In addi ion, logis ics in as uc u e such as wa ehouses and
dis ibu ion cen e s also de e io a e he en i onmen al quali y by
impac ing biodi e si y and land use (Abdul e al., 2022).
Conce ning he se e i y o logis ic-induced en i onmen al p oblems,
a ious o ganiza ions and coun ies a e unde g owing p essu e o
implemen ca bon managemen s a egies in hei logis ic ope a ions o
o se he en i onmen al e ec o hei logis ic ac i i ies and imp o e
he supply chain e iciency (He old & Lee, 2017). In his s ance, an-
si ioning owa ds a g een logis ic (GL) o g een supply chain (GSC) is
conside ed desi able. Li e a u e e eals g owing e idence documen ing
ha g een logis ics is c ucial in limi ing a ious en i onmen al p oblems
by educing ene gy consump ion and op imizing anspo a ion ou es
(F eis e al., 2016). G een logis ics p ima ily ocuses on coo dina ing
sus ainable p ac ices in anspo a ion, in en o y managemen , wa e-
housing, and in o ma ion exchange among supply chain pa ne s. I
aims o supply he p oduc s sus ainably by imp o ing he pe o mance
o logis ic ope a ions (Liu e al., 2018). Li e a u e sugges s ha by
implemen ing sus ainable/g een p ac ices in logis ics ope a ions, na-
ions can achie e sus ainabili y in hei supply chain ope a ions because
* Co esponding au ho .
E-mail add esses: [email p o ec ed] (H. Cheng), [email p o ec ed] (H.R. Chaudh y), [email p o ec ed] (I. Kazi), [email p o ec ed]
(M. Uma ).
Con en s lis s a ailable a ScienceDi ec
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge
jou nal homepage: www.else ie .com/loca e/jik
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.jik.2024.100612
Recei ed 17 Augus 2024; Accep ed 23 Oc obe 2024
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 9 (2024) 100612
A ailable online 14 No embe 2024
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sus ainable logis ics is an in eg al pa o he g een supply chain
(Rehman Khan e al., 2018; Yu e al., 2021). I is wo h men ioning ha
he e ms "sus ainable" and "g een" p ac ices a e equen ly used in e -
changeably in he li e a u e, as bo h gene ally aim o minimize en i-
onmen al ha m (Singh & T i edi, 2016).
No ably, he o igins o a sus ainable/g een supply chain can be
aced back o Rao and Hol (2005), which was la e de eloped u he
wi h he amewo k p oposed by Ca e and Roge s (2008). G een
supply chain aims o educe he en i onmen al impac o a coun y’s
ope a ions and p o ec he en i onmen h ough sus ainable p ac ices.
Resea che s o en use g een logis ics o measu e g een supply chain
p ac ices because logis ics a e one o he mos c i ical a eas ha o ga-
niza ions o coun ies need o ocus in o de o imp o e hei o e all
supply chain pe o mance (Yu e al., 2021). Howe e , he e is s ill
con usion su ounding he app op ia e measu e o g een logis ics.
The use o he Logis ics Pe o mance Index (LPI) as a measu e o
g een logis ics has been deba ed among esea che s o a long ime. LPI
is a benchma king ool ha e alua es a coun y’s logis ics ope a ions by
using six indices, such as 1) “cus oms clea ance e iciency”, 2) “in a-
s uc u e quali y”, 3) “ease o a anging shipmen s”, 4) “logis ics se ice
quali y”, 5) “ acking and acing abili y”, and 6) “shipmen imeliness”.
Each index is e alua ed on a scale o 1 o 5, wi h a sco e o 5 indica ing
ou s anding pe o mance and a sco e o 1 indica ing poo pe o mance.
Some esea che s a gue ha LPI is a measu e o logis ic pe o mance and
does no measu e sus ainabili y in logis ic ope a ions due o he lack o
en i onmen al conside a ions (Khan e al., 2017). Howe e , se e al
esea che s a e conduc ing hei s udies in he con ex o g een logis ics
and supply chains by using a ious componen s o LPI (Anse e al.,
2020; Ka aduman e al., 2020; Liu e al., 2018; Liu e al., 2022).
Howe e , i is essen ial o no e ha mos o he esea che s ha e
es ed he sepa a e impac o each componen o he LPI on he en i-
onmen a he han using he composi e index. We belie e ha using
he composi e index o he LPI will p o ide a mo e comp ehensi e
assessmen o a coun y’s o egion’s logis ics pe o mance, which can
impac he en i onmen . This is because he composi e index conside s
all dimensions o logis ics ac i i ies, including “cus oms clea ance e i-
ciency, in as uc u e quali y, ease o a anging shipmen s, logis ics se ice
quali y, acking, and acing abili y, and shipmen imeliness”. The sco e o
his composi e index is calcula ed a e conside ing all six dimensions,
p o iding a mo e holis ic iew o he logis ics ope a ions. A sco e close
o 5 on he composi e index indica es be e pe o mance in all six di-
mensions, while a sco e close o 1 indica es poo pe o mance. In
addi ion, he composi e index allows o a mo e obus and s a is ically
sound analysis and compa ison o he logis ics pe o mance ac oss
di e en egions and coun ies. The e o e, conside a ion o he com-
posi e index o LPI is deemed app op ia e o gain mo e insigh ul im-
plica ions ega ding he impac o logis ic ope a ions on he
en i onmen . Howe e , when we look a he heo e ical de ini ions o
his index, we do no ind e idence ha he index was in ended o
cap u e any hing ela ed o g een. Howe e i can p o ide some insigh s
in o he sus ainabili y o logis ics ope a ions because he componen o
his index is di ec ly o indi ec ly ela ed o en i onmen al pe o mance.
Resea ch gap and con ibu ions o he s udy
The ela ionship be ween logis ics and en i onmen al impac has
been he subjec o signi ican academic deba e in ecen yea s. Despi e
his g owing a en ion, se e al c i ical esea ch gaps emain ha need o
be add essed. Fi s , mos s udies ha e ocused on g een logis ics and
supply chain ope a ions a he i m o indus y le el, which limi s ou
unde s anding o how logis ics pe o mance a ec s en i onmen al
quali y a he coun y le el. Add essing his gap is essen ial o g asp he
b oade en i onmen al implica ions o logis ics a a na ional scale.
Second, he e is ongoing deba e among esea che s ega ding he mos
app op ia e measu e o cap u e g een logis ics and supply chain pe -
o mance. A se led consensus on his issue is c ucial o ad ancing he
ield and ensu ing consis en me hodologies ac oss s udies. Thi d, he
li e a u e p esen s con lic ing indings on he ela ionship be ween lo-
gis ics pe o mance and en i onmen al quali y, wi h some s udies
epo ing posi i e impac s and o he s epo ing nega i e. Resol ing
hese disc epancies is c i ical o es ablishing a clea e unde s anding o
how logis ics pe o mance in e ac s wi h en i onmen al a iables.
Fou h, p io esea ch has ypically examined indi idual componen s o
he LPI a he han employing he composi e index, which would p o-
ide a mo e in eg a ed and holis ic assessmen o logis ics pe o mance
ac oss mul iple dimensions. This gap in me hodology limi s he abili y o
comp ehensi ely e alua e he ull scope o logis ics ac i i ies and hei
en i onmen al impac s. Fi h, exis ing esea che s ha e es ed he e -
ec s o di e en dimensions o LPI on ca bon emissions. While CO₂
emissions a e a c ucial indica o o clima e change, hey do no p o ide a
comp ehensi e unde s anding o he ull ange o en i onmen al con-
sequences associa ed wi h logis ics ac i i ies. CO₂ measu emen s ocus
na owly on emissions om ossil uel consump ion, neglec ing o he
c i ical en i onmen al ac o s such as land use, wa e consump ion, and
biodi e si y loss. This na ow ocus limi s he scope o analysis and
o e looks he b oade ecological impac s o logis ics ope a ions
In con as , he Ecological Foo p in (EFP) o e s a mo e comp e-
hensi e and app op ia e measu e o en i onmen al quali y. Unlike CO₂,
which ocuses solely on a mosphe ic emissions, EFP assesses he o al
ecological demand on Ea h by human ac i i ies, including logis ics. EFP
conside s a b oade ange o en i onmen al impac s, such as land use,
wa e consump ion, esou ce deple ion, and habi a des uc ion,
p o iding a mo e in eg a ed iew o sus ainabili y. EFP also e alua es
how much o he plane ’s biocapaci y is consumed o suppo cu en
economic and logis ical ac i i ies, e lec ing he o e all s ain on na u al
esou ces and ecosys ems. By inco po a ing mul iple en i onmen al
dimensions, including biodi e si y loss and de o es a ion, EFP p o ides
a mo e holis ic assessmen o he sus ainabili y o logis ics ope a ions.
Howe e , as a as he au ho is awa e, no p io s udies ha e empi ically
explo ed he ela ionship be ween LPI and EFP, pa icula ly a he na-
ional le el, which lea es a signi ican gap in he li e a u e. This sig-
ni ican gap in he li e a u e highligh s he need o a mo e
comp ehensi e app oach o unde s anding he en i onmen al impac o
logis ics pe o mance. We a gue ha he use o EFP as a b oade and
mo e holis ic measu e will cap u e a mo e comple e pic u e o how lo-
gis ics ope a ions a ec he en i onmen
In ligh o he exis ing esea ch gaps, add essing he ela ionship
be ween logis ics pe o mance and en i onmen al impac a a b oade ,
na ional le el has become inc easingly u gen . The e o e, his s udy
aims o in es iga e he ela ionship be ween he Logis ics Pe o mance
Index (LPI) and en i onmen al quali y by u ilizing a mo e comp ehen-
si e measu e, he Ecological Foo p in (EFP). By s udying he ela ion-
ship be ween LPI and EFP, his s udy con ibu es o he academic
discou se and o e s ac ionable insigh s o policymake s and go e n-
men s. These indings will suppo he de elopmen o s a egies and
policies o imp o e logis ics pe o mance while simul aneously educing
he ecological oo p in , he eby p omo ing economic e iciency and
en i onmen al sus ainabili y. The o e all heme o ou s udy is p e-
sen ed in Fig. 1.
Li e a u e e iew
G een logis ic (GL) and en i onmen al quali y (EQ)
G een and sus ainable logis ics ha e ecei ed signi ican a en ion
om esea che s and policy make s in he ield o en i onmen and
supply chain managemen . The esea ch in his a ea was d i en by he
ealiza ion ha unsus ainable logis ic ope a ions cons i u e a signi ican
sha e in aising en i onmen al p oblems. Fo ins ance, Rehman Khan
e al. (2018) epo ed ha logis ic-induced pollu ion subs an ially con-
ibu es o o e all pollu ion. Khan (2019) s a ed ha logis ics ac i i ies,
such as anspo a ion and wa ehousing, gene a e emissions h ough
bu ning ossil uels, which eleases g eenhouse gases (GHG) in o he
H. Cheng e al.
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 9 (2024) 100612
2
a mosphe e and causes ha m o he en i onmen . Many o he e-
sea che s also documen ed he signi ican linkage be ween logis ic op-
e a ions and he en i onmen (Li e al., 2021; Sikde e al., 2022). (Peng,
2023) s a ed ha unsui able logis ics w eak ha oc on he en i onmen
while simul aneously igge ing supply chain dis up ions ha dampen
economic ac i i y. Simila ly, Lin e al. (2022) exp essed conce ns abou
he nega i e consequences o unsus ainable logis ics and supply chain
p ac ices. As a esul o hese indings, o ganiza ions and policymake s
ace inc easing p essu e o educe he en i onmen al oo p in o lo-
gis ics and supply chain ope a ions by making hem sus ainable.
Cu en ly, academicians a e placing g ea e emphasis on explo ing
he e ec s o g een logis ics (GL) and g een supply chain (GSC) p ac ices
on a ious en i onmen al ou comes. G een logis ics is equen ly used as
a c i ical indica o o measu ing g een supply chain p ac ices. I ep-
esen s one o he mos c ucial componen s o ganiza ions mus p io i ize
o enhance hei supply chain pe o mance (Yu e al., 2021). Mo eo e ,
by using g een logis ics as a measu e o g een supply chain p ac ices,
esea che s can assess he e ec i eness o hese p ac ices in imp o ing
bo h logis ics pe o mance and en i onmen al ou comes. Li e a u e
e iden ple ho a o s udies ha epo he signi ican linkage be ween
g een logis ics (o g een supply chain) and he en i onmen a he i m
o indus y le el (Fu e al., 2022; Ga cía Alca az e al., 2022; Laa i e al.,
2018; Lopes de Sousa Jabbou e al., 2017; Wang e al., 2018). Howe e ,
he e is a signi ican lack o esea ch conduc ed a he coun y le el,
whe e he e ec s o g een logis ics and g een supply chain p ac ices
ha e no been adequa ely explo ed. In addi ion o he limi ed numbe o
s udies a his scale, he exis ing esea ch lacks consis ency in how g een
logis ics and g een supply chains a e measu ed, leading o challenges in
d awing eliable conclusions ac oss di e en con ex s. One s and o
s udies epo ed ha i is easonable o use he logis ic pe o mance
index (LPI) o cap u e he impac o g een logis ics on he en i onmen
because i includes se e al ac o s, such as cus oms and in as uc u e,
ha can be ela ed o he en i onmen al impac o a coun y’s logis ics
sys em. Ano he s and o esea che s belie es ha LPI is no a
comp ehensi e indica o o g een logis ics as i does no di ec ly
conside he en i onmen al impac o a coun y’s logis ic sys em.
Liu e al. (2018) ga he ed annual da a om he Asian Economies
o e he pe iod o 2007–2016 and ound ha imp o emen in he lo-
gis ic pe o mance helped o mi iga e he CO2 om a ce ain h eshold.
The s udy concluded ha logis ic ope a ions, being an impo an
componen o g een supply chain p ac ices, help o p omo e
en i onmen al sus ainabili y. Yu e al. (2021) es ed he ela ionship
be ween g een logis ics, ene gy demand, and en i onmen al sus ain-
abili y. The s udy used di e en indices o he logis ic pe o mance
index (LPI), such as he "abili y o ack goods, he abili y and quali y o
logis ics se ices, he a angemen o anspo a ion wi h compe i i e p ices,
he e iciency o cus oms clea ance, he imeliness o ecei ing goods, and he
quali y o ade and anspo a ion ela ed in as uc u e" o ep esen g een
logis ic. A e eg essing he da a o Asian Coun ies anging om 2007
o 2016, he s udy ound ha LPI s signi ican ly con ibu ed o educing
ene gy demand and ca bon emissions. I is a gued ha by imp o ing
logis ic pe o mance, economies can d i e he adap a ion o a g een
supply chain o mi iga e a ious en i onmen al cos s. Ba-Alawi e al.
(2024) did an in e es ing esea ch. The au ho s explo ed g een ene gy
solu ions in he con ex o ene gy and wa e supply sys ems. The p ima y
aim o he s udy was o examine how in eg a ing enewable
ene gy-powe ed sys ems in supply chains could signi ican ly educe
CO2 emissions. Thei s udy demons a ed ha inco po a ing g een en-
e gy solu ions in he supply chains led o a 46.79 % educ ion in CO2
emissions.
Liu e al. (2022) belie e ha logis ic ope a ions a e an essen ial
componen o supply chain pe o mance which plays a c i ical ole in
mi iga ing a ious en i onmen al isks. To p o e his empi ically, he
s udy an analysis o he Asian Na ions and es ed he impac o LPI on
CO2. The s udy con i med ha imp o emen in logis ic pe o mance
leads o signi ican educ ions in ca bon emissions. P imadasa e al.
(2024) also showed ha logis ic and supply chain imp o emen s may
esul in signi ican en i onmen al imp o emen s.Suki e al. (2021)
documen ed he nega i e co ela ion be ween LPI and CO2. The s udy
con i med ha imp o emen in logis ic pe o mance signi ican ly e-
duces logis ic-induced pollu ion. Magazzino e al. (2021) emphasized
he deca boniza ion o supply chain p ac ices by imp o ing logis ic
pe o mance. The s udy documen ed ha poo ly managed logis ic
ope a ion dis up s supply chain pe o mance by inc easing ope a ional
and en i onmen al cos s. Howe e , Ka aduman e al. (2020) u ilized he
da a om Balkan coun ies and epo ed ha a posi i e linkage exis s
be ween a ious indices o LPI and ca bon emissions. The s udy s a ed
ha a highe amoun o ene gy is consumed du ing logis ic ope a ions,
aising he le el o CO2. The au ho s sugges ed e ec i e en i onmen al
managemen is c ucial o ensu ing a heal hy en i onmen and smoo h
unc ioning o logis ic and supply chain ope a ions.
Khan e al. (2019) conduc ed hei esea ch ac oss he SAARC egion
Fig. 1. Theme o he s udy; sou ce: au ho ’s elabo a ion.
H. Cheng e al.
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 9 (2024) 100612
3
and ound a posi i e ela ionship be ween LPI and CO2. The s udy
men ioned ha LPI elies on ossil uel incine a ion and non- enewable
uels, which ha m economic wel a e and en i onmen al quali y (EQ).
Khan e al. (2017) combined he LPI wi h some en i onmen al indices
and es ed hei impac on economic g ow h and EQ. The indings o he
s udy e ealed ha en i onmen al LPI is a c ucial de e minan in
boos ing economic and en i onmen al wel a e. The s udy sugges ed a
need o conside enewable sou ces in hei logis ics and supply chain
ope a ions o p omo e en i onmen al sus ainabili y. Ma iano e al.
(2017) de eloped a composi e index o LPI and es ed i s impac on he
ca bon emissions p oduced by he anspo a ion sec o . The s udy
ound ha imp o emen in o e all logis ic pe o mance helps mi iga e
ad e se en i onmen al consequences. Khan e al. (2020) also docu-
men ed he a o able impac s o logis ic pe o mance in imp o ing
o e all EQ.
Based on he abo e li e a u e, i is e iden ha he deba e among
esea che s ega ding he app op ia e measu e o assess g een logis ics
and g een supply chain ope a ions emains un esol ed. Some schola s
ad oca e he use o he Logis ics Pe o mance Index (LPI) as a alid
me ic, while o he s exp ess conce ns due o i s limi ed conside a ion o
en i onmen al ac o s. Fu he mo e, he e a e con lic ing iews on he
ac ual impac o LPI on en i onmen al ou comes, wi h some s udies
showing a posi i e in luence while o he s aise doub s. These ongoing
disag eemen s highligh he need o u he esea ch o cla i y LPI’s
ole. Based on his e iew, we p opose o es he ollowing esea ch
ques ion:
Does logis ic pe o mance a ec en i onmen al quali y?
To add ess his ques ion, he co esponding null and al e na i e
hypo heses a e s a ed as ollows:
H
0
(Null Hypo hesis): “The e is no signi ican ela ionship be ween lo-
gis ic pe o mance and en i onmen al quali y.”
H
1
(Al e na i e Hypo hesis): “The e exis s a signi ican ela ionship
be ween logis ic pe o mance and en i onmen al quali y.”
Concep ual amewo k
The concep ual amewo k o he s udy, shown in Fig. 2, is based on
he heo e ical ounda ions o he Resou ce-Based View (RBV) heo y,
ini ially p oposed by We ne el (1984) and u he de eloped by Ba -
ney (1991). Acco ding o his heo y, logis ics pe o mance can be
conside ed a esou ce ha enhances en i onmen al quali y and educes
a coun y’s ecological oo p in . The heo y ou lines h ee main chan-
nels: e icien esou ce u iliza ion, adop ion o en i onmen ally iendly
echnologies, and a shi owa ds sus ainable anspo a ion op ions, h ough
which logis ics pe o mance in luences en i onmen al quali y.
Fi s ly, e icien esou ce u iliza ion e e s o op imizing c i ical e-
sou ces such as uel, ene gy, and ime, which a e cen al o logis ics
ac i i ies. Imp o ed logis ics pe o mance enables o ganiza ions o
be e plan and execu e logis ics ope a ions, signi ican ly educing
esou ce was age and ine iciency. Fo ins ance, logis ics manage s can
educe uel consump ion and minimize idle imes o anspo ehicles
by op imizing anspo a ion ou es, consolida ing shipmen s, and
employing eal- ime acking sys ems. Such p ac ices lead o lowe
g eenhouse gas emissions and a smalle ca bon oo p in , bene i ing
en i onmen al quali y (McKinnon e al., 2015). Addi ionally, he e i-
cien use o wa ehouses, dis ibu ion cen e s, and lee managemen
sys ems educes he o e all ene gy consump ion in he logis ics chain.
As logis ics pe o mance imp o es, o ganiza ions can cu down on
excessi e ene gy use, lowe ing ope a ional cos s and educing en i-
onmen al ha m. By achie ing highe esou ce e iciency, i ms
con ibu e o a mo e sus ainable supply chain while enhancing hei
compe i i eness in he ma ke .
Secondly, adop ing en i onmen ally iendly echnologies ep esen s a
key channel whe e imp o ed logis ics pe o mance di ec ly p omo es
sus ainabili y. O ganiza ions ocusing on enhancing hei logis ics ca-
pabili ies a e mo e likely o in es in inno a i e, g een echnologies ha
minimize en i onmen al impac . Examples include using elec ic ehi-
cles, hyb id engines, and al e na i e uels such as bio uels and hyd ogen-
powe ed ucks (Li e al., 2021). These echnologies signi ican ly educe
emissions, ai pollu an s, and dependency on ossil uels. Mo eo e ,
ad anced lee managemen sys ems, eco-d i ing echnologies, and
au oma ed logis ics p ocesses allow o ganiza ions o op imize uel
consump ion and educe hei en i onmen al oo p in . Logis ics com-
panies ha in es in such g een echnologies no only demons a e
en i onmen al esponsibili y bu also gain a compe i i e edge by posi-
ioning hemsel es as leade s in sus ainabili y. Fu he mo e, his
commi men o en i onmen ally iendly echnologies sends a signal o
consume s and business pa ne s abou he company’s sus ainabili y
goals, he eby a ac ing cus ome s who alue eco- iendly p ac ices
(Zhang e al., 2022). O e ime, he widesp ead adop ion o g een
echnologies ac oss he logis ics sec o c ea es a ipple e ec , d i ing
indus y-wide inno a ion and pushing o he o ganiza ions o ollow sui
in adop ing mo e sus ainable logis ics solu ions.
Finally, he shi owa ds sus ainable anspo a ion op ions is a i al
channel h ough which imp o ed logis ics pe o mance in luences
en i onmen al quali y. T adi ional logis ics ope a ions o en ely
hea ily on oad anspo a ion, which is associa ed wi h highe uel
consump ion, ai pollu ion, and ca bon emissions. Howe e , as logis ics
pe o mance imp o es, o ganiza ions a e able o make s a egic shi s
away om en i onmen ally ha m ul anspo a ion modes owa d mo e
Fig. 2. Concep ual amewo k.
No e: The upwa d a ow o LPI indica es imp o ed logis ics pe o mance, while he downwa d a ow o EFP sugges s educed ecological impac as LPI inc eases.
The upwa d/downwa d g een a ows show hypo hesized ela ionships be ween LPI and EFP, i.e., when he e will be an inc ease in LPI, he e will be a dec ease
in EFP.
H. Cheng e al.
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 9 (2024) 100612
4
sus ainable al e na i es. Fo ins ance, companies can educe hei eli-
ance on oad anspo by inc easing hei use o ail, sea, o mul imodal
anspo sys ems, which a e gene ally mo e ene gy-e icien and p o-
duce ewe emissions (Gu e al., 2022). Rail anspo , o example,
consumes less uel pe on-mile han oad anspo and gene a es ewe
pollu an s, making i a mo e en i onmen ally iendly op ion o
long-haul eigh .
Addi ionally, companies can employ ou e op imiza ion echnologies
ha allow hem o choose less conges ed, sho e ou es, hus u he
educing uel consump ion and emissions. The shi o sus ainable
anspo a ion op ions is u he suppo ed by adop ing new logis ics
models, such as e e se logis ics and ci cula supply chains, which ocus
on educing was e and p omo ing he euse o ma e ials. By shi ing
owa ds hese sus ainable anspo a ion modes, companies can signi -
ican ly educe hei en i onmen al oo p in while main aining o e en
imp o ing logis ics e iciency. Conclusi ely, esou ce iew base heo y
a gues ha logis ics pe o mance is a aluable esou ce ha can be used
o imp o e en i onmen al quali y and educe a coun y’s ecological
oo p in . Th ough be e use o esou ces, mo e en i onmen ally
iendly echnologies and p ac ices, and mo e sus ainable anspo a ion
op ions, logis ics pe o mance can be le e aged o achie e a mo e sus-
ainable u u e.
Me hodology
Da a and a iables
To b ing a no el pe spec i e o he empi ical ela ionship be ween
logis ic pe o mance and en i onmen al quali y, we conduc ed ou
analysis a he coun y le el, ocusing on a sample o 43 global econo-
mies (see Table A1 in he appendix). These coun ies we e selec ed o
hei di e se economic s uc u es, s ages o de elopmen , and logis ical
capaci ies, making hem essen ial con ibu o s o global ade and sup-
ply chains. This di e si y is c i ical o cap u ing a wide ange o logis-
ical and en i onmen al dynamics, allowing he s udy o p o ide mo e
comp ehensi e insigh s. Focusing on hese coun ies enables us o un-
de s and how logis ics pe o mance in e ac s wi h en i onmen al qual-
i y ac oss di e en na ional con ex s, making he indings bo h globally
ele an and policy impac ul.
Unlike he p e ious s udies, we use a composi e index o logis ic
pe o mance (LPI) o assess he pe o mance o a coun y’s logis ic op-
e a ions and ecological oo p in (EFP) o gauge he en i onmen al
quali y. In addi ion o his, we also use some con ol a iables such as
“impo s o goods and se ices, expo s o goods and se ices, GDP, and
adjus ed ne na ional income pe capi a” o a oid possible econome ic
e o s. All hese a iables a e measu ed in cons an 2015 US$ o ensu e
compa abili y ac oss yea s and economies. The da a o ecological oo -
p in was ob ained om he global oo p in ne wo k, while he da a o
he emaining a iables we e ex ac ed om he Wo ld Bank. A de ailed
desc ip ion o he co e s udy a iables is p esen ed in Appendix,
Table A2.
No ably, he s udy co e s he ime pe iod om 2010 o 2016, as his
was he mos ecen pe iod o which comple e and consis en da a was
a ailable o all se s o a iables. Al hough mo e ecen da a exis ed o
a iables such as impo s, expo s, GDP, and ne na ional income pe
capi a. The da a o LPI was only consis en ly a ailable up o 2016. Gi en
ha ou p ima y objec i e is o assess he impac o LPI on en i on-
men al quali y, i was c ucial o ensu e da a consis ency ac oss all a -
iables. The e o e, we limi ed he analysis o he yea s o which
comple e and eliable LPI da a was a ailable. This allows o a mo e
obus and accu a e analysis, ensu ing ha he esul s e lec he ue
ela ionship be ween logis ics pe o mance and en i onmen al
ou comes.
Econome ic model building
The basic econome ic model o he s udy is p esen ed in Eq. (1).
EFPi =LPIi +IMPi +EXPi +GDPi +Adj.NNIi +ui .(1)
Whe e EFP is he ecological oo p in measu e in global hec o s (p oxy o
en i onmen al quali y), LPI is he logis ic pe o mance index (p oxy o
coun y’s logis ic ope a ions), expo s (EXP), impo s (IMP), g oss do-
mes ic p oduc (GDP) and adjus ed ne na ional sa ings (Adj.NNI),
which a e measu ed in cons an 2015 US dolla s. u is he s ochas ic e o
e m, which is assumed o be no mally dis ibu ed. i is indi idual na-
ions, and deno es he ime.
Since all he chosen s udy a iables a e in di e en uni s, we ha e
ans o med ou a iables in o hei na u al loga i hmic o m o imp o e
he accu acy and obus ness o he esul s (Shahbaz e al., 2022; Tao
e al., 2022; Wang e al., 2022). The econome ic o m o ou ans-
o med a iables is p esen ed in Eq. (2).
lnEFPi =lnLPIi +lnIMPi +lnEXPi +lnGDPi +lnAdj.NNIi +ui .(2)
Baseline econome ic app oach
The p esen s udy applies a pooled eg ession model o es ima e he
empi ical ela ionship among he ele an s udy a iables. Pooled
eg ession is a me hod o analyzing panel da a, which is da a ha in-
cludes obse a ions o mul iple indi iduals o en i ies (such as i ms o
coun ies) o e ime. I is a simple and use ul me hod o analyzing panel
da a when he assump ions o homoskedas ici y, independence e o s,
and ime-in a ian a iables a e held. I p o ides a simple and e icien
way o es ima e he o e all ela ionship be ween he dependen and
independen a iables ac oss all obse a ions. I also p o ides easible
esul s o he case o small da ase s.
Empi ical esul s
Desc ip i e s a is ics
Ou analysis begins by calcula ing desc ip i e s a is ics ac oss
di e en subg oups, ca ego ized by income le els and geog aphical e-
gions, o p o ide a comp ehensi e o e iew o he s ylized ac s.
Analyzing he da a in his manne is essen ial because i helps us o
de ec whe he logis ics pe o mance and en i onmen al quali y show
simila pa e ns o a y ac oss di e en economic condi ions and e-
gions. Unde s anding hese a ia ions is c ucial o ailo ing insigh s and
ecommenda ions o coun ies wi h di e en economic s uc u es o
geog aphical challenges. This subg oup analysis allows us o examine i
he e is he e ogenei y o homogenei y in he da a. This sheds ligh on
how logis ics and en i onmen al impac s di e ac oss income le els and
egions.
The esul s o desc ip i e s a is ics a e p esen ed in Tables 1-3.
Table 1 epo s he o e all summa y s a is ics o he 43 coun ies in he
sample, showing c i ical measu es like he mean, maximum, minimum,
s anda d de ia ion, skewness, and ku osis o each a iable. Table 2
Table 1
Desc ip i e s a is ics.
Mean S d.
De .
Minimum Maximum Skewness Ku osis
EFP 17.453 1.436 14.932 21.160 0.618 2.791
LPI 1.066 0.133 0.713 1.372 −0.259 2.575
IMP 24.254 1.395 20.837 27.002 −0.123 2.604
EXP 24.096 1.621 20.298 26.814 −0.310 2.453
GDP 25.065 1.562 21.150 28.454 −0.030 2.663
ADJ.
NNI
9.086 2.875 6.543 24.484 4.402 23.912
Sou ce: Au ho ’s calcula ions.
H. Cheng e al.
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 9 (2024) 100612
5
b eaks down he s a is ics by income le el, such as high-income, low-
income, lowe -middle-income, and uppe -middle-income g oups.
Table 3 ocuses on egional b eakdowns, including egions like Eas Asia
& Paci ic, Eu ope & Cen al Asia, and Sou h Asia.
Table 1 shows he Logis ics Pe o mance Index (LPI) has a mean
alue o 1.066 wi h a s anda d de ia ion o 0.133, sugges ing ha lo-
gis ics pe o mance is ela i ely consis en ac oss coun ies in he sam-
ple. The Ecological Foo p in (EFP) has a mean o 17.453, wi h mode a e
a iabili y indica ed by a s anda d de ia ion o 1.436. These o e all
alues p o ide a gene al sense o he da ase , bu hey obscu e impo an
he e ogenei y ha becomes clea e when we b eak he da a down by
income le el and egion.
Table 2 shows signi ican he e ogenei y ac oss di e en income
g oups. High-income coun ies show a much highe a e age LPI (1.180)
han low-income coun ies (0.851). This e lec s subs an ial dispa i ies
in logis ics in as uc u e and e iciency be ween weal hie and poo e
na ions. Rega ding en i onmen al impac , lowe -middle-income coun-
ies epo he highes a e age EFP (17.993), indica ing ha hey ace
g ea e en i onmen al p essu es. High-income coun ies, by con as ,
ha e a sligh ly lowe a e age EFP (17.235), likely due o mo e e ec i e
en i onmen al managemen
Mo eo e , o he economic indica o s such as GDP, IMP, EXP and
ADJ.NNI also shows conside able a ia ion, wi h high-income coun ies
epo ing much mo e obus inancial pe o mance. The di e ence in
hese indica o s signi ies he he e ogenei y in logis ics and en i on-
men al pe o mance ac oss income g oups, sugges ing ha he ela-
ionship be ween logis ics pe o mance and en i onmen al quali y is no
uni o m bu a ies acco ding o economic s a us.
Table 3 epo s desc ip i es egion-wise, and he a ia ion o he -
e ogenei y among esul s becomes e en mo e e iden . Fo ins ance, he
Eas Asia & Paci ic egion exhibi s he highes a e age Ecological
Foo p in (EFP) o 18.793, compa ed o Eu ope & Cen al Asia, whe e
he EFP is lowe a 17.104. This sugges s ha Eas Asia & Paci ic
coun ies ace mo e signi ican en i onmen al p essu es, likely due o
highe le els o indus ial ac i i y, u baniza ion, and esou ce con-
sump ion. In con as , Eu ope & Cen al Asia may bene i om mo e
s ingen en i onmen al egula ions o mo e sus ainable p ac ices,
con ibu ing o hei ela i ely lowe en i onmen al impac . Simila ly,
logis ics pe o mance, as e lec ed by he Logis ics Pe o mance Index
(LPI), a ies signi ican ly ac oss egions. The Eas Asia & Paci ic egion
epo s a highe LPI (1.126), indica ing mo e ad anced logis ics in a-
s uc u e and g ea e e iciency in managing supply chains, while Sou h
Asia shows he lowes LPI (0.965), highligh ing logis ical ine iciencies
ha may s em om unde de eloped in as uc u e o less e ec i e
policy amewo ks. These dispa i ies in LPI ac oss egions highligh he
di e ences in how well coun ies can op imize hei logis ics sys ems o
balance economic g ow h wi h en i onmen al sus ainabili y. The a i-
abili y in GDP, IMP, EXP, and ADJ.NNI ac oss egions u he signi ies
he he e ogenei y in inancial and logis ical capaci ies, wi h some e-
gions be e equipped o manage logis ical challenges and hei en i-
onmen al impac han o he s.
Reg ession ou pu and discussion
This s udy uses pooled eg ession analysis o es he hypo hesized
ela ionship among he unde lying a iables. The ou comes o he s udy
a e epo ed in Table 4. The s udy ound ha logis ic pe o mance
nega i ely impac s ecological oo p in s. The esul implies ha a 1 %
inc ease in LPI leads o a 1.944 % decline in EFP. This inding is
consis en wi h he exis ing li e a u e and sugges s ha imp o emen s in
a coun y’s logis ics ope a ions a e bene icial o en i onmen al quali y
(Liu e al., 2018; Liu e al., 2022; Suki e al., 2021; Yu e al., 2021). The
nega i e ela ionship highligh s ha coun ies wi h mo e e icien lo-
gis ics sys ems can signi ican ly educe hei en i onmen al impac by
Table 2
Desc ip i e s a is ics – income wise.
Mean S d.
De
Minimum Maximum Skewness Ku osis
High income
EFP 17.235 19.120 0.904 15.920 0.528 2.401
LPI 1.180 1.422 0.096 1.019 0.630 3.227
IMP 24.762 26.868 1.037 23.178 0.459 2.056
EXP 24.828 27.033 1.063 23.216 0.499 2.162
GDP 25.395 27.223 1.037 23.690 0.013 1.735
ADJ.
NNI
9.594 10.703 0.499 8.677 0.585 2.659
Low income
EFP 17.108 17.564 0.253 16.732 0.482 2.671
LPI 0.851 1.061 0.205 0.469 −0.889 2.665
IMP 23.238 23.710 0.512 22.500 −0.556 1.593
EXP 23.132 24.644 1.289 21.534 −0.110 1.298
GDP 24.258 24.867 0.550 23.459 −0.321 1.653
ADJ.
NNI
8.943 24.484 5.212 6.543 2.642 8.036
Lowe middle income
EFP 17.993 21.160 1.610 14.932 0.053 2.595
LPI 0.970 1.230 0.124 0.713 0.041 2.275
IMP 23.993 27.002 1.612 20.837 −0.010 2.575
EXP 23.616 26.814 1.814 20.298 0.010 2.297
GDP 25.137 28.454 1.795 21.150 −0.314 2.956
ADJ.
NNI
8.393 8.997 0.363 7.627 0.032 2.089
Uppe middle income
EFP 17.774 22.380 2.020 15.509 0.873 2.910
LPI 1.042 1.298 0.131 0.791 0.524 2.244
IMP 24.047 26.693 1.524 21.962 0.345 1.767
EXP 23.831 26.724 1.830 21.214 0.229 1.652
GDP 25.201 30.101 2.130 22.588 0.769 2.696
ADJ.
NNI
9.046 24.484 2.795 6.543 4.530 25.353
Sou ce: Au ho ’s calcula ions.
Table 3
Desc ip i e s a is ics – egion wise.
Mean S d.
De
Minimum Maximum Skewness Ku osis
Eas Asia & Paci ic
EFP 18.793 22.380 1.726 15.952 0.618 3.196
LPI 1.126 1.422 0.190 0.726 −0.348 2.211
IMP 25.221 26.868 1.504 22.117 −0.965 2.364
EXP 25.221 27.033 1.674 21.735 −1.002 2.481
GDP 26.338 30.101 1.834 23.017 0.258 3.083
ADJ.
NNI
25.221 27.033 1.674 21.735 −1.002 2.481
Eu ope & Cen al Asia
EFP 17.104 20.486 1.272 15.509 0.967 3.492
LPI 1.060 1.290 0.118 0.791 −0.048 2.056
IMP 23.976 26.693 1.174 21.962 0.413 2.692
EXP 23.836 26.724 1.387 21.214 0.069 2.525
GDP 24.744 27.961 1.348 22.588 0.571 2.857
ADJ.
NNI
23.836 26.724 1.387 21.214 0.069 2.525
Middle Eas & No h A ica
EFP 17.280 19.120 0.752 16.142 0.978 3.335
LPI 1.098 1.372 0.168 0.469 −1.424 6.332
IMP 24.407 26.367 1.072 22.500 0.475 2.295
EXP 24.367 26.646 1.322 21.534 −0.104 2.474
GDP 25.240 27.223 1.050 23.459 0.343 1.986
ADJ.
NNI
24.367 26.646 1.322 21.534 −0.104 2.474
Sou h Asia
EFP 18.020 21.160 1.938 14.932 0.054 2.291
LPI 0.965 1.230 0.129 0.713 0.075 2.427
IMP 23.873 27.002 1.889 20.837 −0.005 2.384
EXP 23.363 26.814 2.100 20.298 0.077 2.090
GDP 25.093 28.454 2.199 21.150 −0.375 2.397
ADJ.
NNI
23.363 26.814 2.100 20.298 0.077 2.090
Sou ce: Au ho ’s calcula ions.
H. Cheng e al.
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 9 (2024) 100612
6
op imizing esou ce use, minimizing was e, and adop ing cleane ech-
nologies. This imp o emen in logis ics pe o mance ypically leads o
mo e e icien anspo a ion ou es, educed uel consump ion, and
lowe g eenhouse gas emissions, all o which enhance en i onmen al
ou comes (Yu e al., 2021).
Mo eo e , as LPI inc eases, i o en signals be e logis ics pe o -
mance, encou aging he adop ion o en i onmen ally iendly p ac ices,
such as eco- iendly echnologies and sus ainable anspo a ion solu-
ions. This shi u he educes he en i onmen al impac o logis ics
ac i i ies (Liu e al., 2022). In addi ion, an inc ease in LPI can also
p omo e s onge egional and wo ldwide collabo a ion (¨
Onsel Ekici
e al., 2016). Coun ies wi h high LPI a e o en iewed as eliable and
e icien ade pa ne s. This can esul in he o ma ion o new ade
deals and inc eased c oss-bo de coope a ion in he logis ics sec o ,
which helps minimize he na ion’s ecological oo p in by educing
a el dis ance and imp o ing he e ec i eness o global supply chains
by p omo ing in e na ional ade and coope a ion. The abo e a gumen s
a e su icien o jus i y he signi ican ela ionship be ween LPI and EFP.
Hence, he H
1
is accep ed.
The ou comes o Table 4 u he e eal he a o able impac o
Adjus ed NNI on en i onmen al quali y. Resul s imply ha 1 % inc ease
in Adj.NNI leads 0.053 % decline in he EFP. This is so because he ise in
adjus ed NNI is a measu e o economic wel a e ha leads o a co e-
sponding inc ease in he coun y’s adjus ed ne sa ings, which can be
used o und en i onmen ally iendly and enewable p ojec s ha
educe he en i onmen al impac o many economic ac i i ies (La issa
e al., 2020). Mo eo e , an inc ease in adjus ed NNI can imp o e he
s anda d o li ing o indi iduals, enabling hem o p io i ize en i on-
men al quali y and suppo en i onmen al p o ec ion ini ia i es ha
minimize he ca bon impac o consump ion ac i i ies and hence
imp o e he EQ. Resul s a e aligned wi h (La issa e al., 2020; Zhang &
Zhang, 2018).
In addi ion, an inc ease in impo s is ound o ha e a nega i e e ec
on EFP, as i ans e s emissions om he impo ing coun y o he
expo ing coun y. This phenomenon, o en e e ed o as “ca bon
leakage,” occu s when goods a e p oduced in coun ies wi h less s in-
gen en i onmen al egula ions, leading o highe emissions du ing
p oduc ion (Al-Mulali & Sheau-Ting, 2014; Mahmood e al., 2020). As a
esul , while impo ing coun ies bene i om lowe emissions wi hin
hei own bo de s, hey indi ec ly con ibu e o global emissions by
consuming p oduc s om coun ies wi h weake en i onmen al s an-
da ds. This highligh s he en i onmen al cos s associa ed wi h global-
iza ion and he need o mo e s ingen in e na ional en i onmen al
ag eemen s o mi iga e such e ec s. On he o he hand, an inc ease in
expo s is ound o ha e a posi i e impac on en i onmen al quali y. This
is likely because coun ies ha specialize in expo s end o adop mo e
e icien p oduc ion p ocesses and ad anced echnologies, leading o
lowe emissions pe uni o ou pu (Wang e al., 2020). Expo -d i en
economies o en ocus on indus ies whe e hey ha e a compe i i e
ad an age, enabling hem o p oduce goods mo e e icien ly and wi h
less en i onmen al ha m. Fu he mo e, as coun ies become mo e
in eg a ed in o global ade ne wo ks, he e is g ea e p essu e o
comply wi h in e na ional en i onmen al s anda ds, which can lead o
he adop ion o mo e sus ainable p oduc ion p ac ices. This sugges s
ha when managed e ec i ely, expo s can help educe en i onmen al
impac by p omo ing g eene echnologies and mo e e icien p oduc-
ion me hods.
Conclusion, policy implica ions, and u u e esea ch di ec ions
Logis ics ope a ions a e a undamen al d i e o economic de elop-
men , ye hei con ibu ion o en i onmen al deg ada ion is a signi i-
can conce n. Wi h inc easing global awa eness o en i onmen al issues,
he in e play be ween logis ics and sus ainabili y has eme ged as a
c i ical a ea o academic inqui y. While a subs an ial body o esea ch
exis s on g een logis ics and sus ainable supply chains, he e emains
deba e su ounding he app op ia e me ics o measu ing sus ainabili y
in logis ics. A common app oach among esea che s is o employ he
Logis ics Pe o mance Index (LPI), e en hough i was no ini ially
designed o his pu pose. The LPI amewo k p ima ily ocuses on
ope a ional e iciency, hough speci ic componen s, such as in as uc-
u e quali y and he ease o a anging shipmen s, ha e indi ec impli-
ca ions o en i onmen al ou comes. These componen s o e aluable
insigh s in o he sus ainabili y o logis ics p ac ices.
In his s udy, we empi ically examined he ela ionship be ween
logis ics pe o mance and en i onmen al quali y using he Ecological
Foo p in (EFP) as a comp ehensi e measu e o en i onmen al impac .
Unlike p e ious s udies ha p edominan ly ocused on ca bon emis-
sions, ou analysis employed EFP o cap u e a b oade spec um o
en i onmen al e ec s, including esou ce deple ion and land use. Based
on da a om 43 global economies spanning he yea s 2010 o 2016, ou
indings indica e ha imp o emen s in LPI a e associa ed wi h e-
duc ions in he Ecological Foo p in . This esul aligns wi h exis ing
li e a u e, which sugges s ha enhancing logis ics e iciency can
con ibu e posi i ely o en i onmen al sus ainabili y. No ably, while he
LPI was no explici ly designed o measu e en i onmen al ou comes, i
s ill o e s aluable insigh s in o sus ainable logis ics p ac ices. Ou e-
sul s demons a e ha highe LPI sco es, indica ing be e logis ics
pe o mance, a e linked o lowe ecological oo p in s. I sugges s ha
imp o ing logis ics e iciency can ha e en i onmen al bene i s.
Based on he esul s, we sugges he ollowing policy sugges ions.
Fi s , go e nmen s should ac i ely p o ide inancial incen i es, such as
subsidies, ax b eaks, o low-in e es loans, o logis ics companies ha
adop g eene echnologies and sus ainable p ac ices. These inancial
incen i es can be c ucial in o e coming he high up on cos s associa ed
wi h g een echnology in es men s, making eco- iendly solu ions mo e
accessible and cos -e ec i e o businesses. Such policies would also
encou age he ansi ion o cleane ehicles, ene gy-e icien in a-
s uc u e, and sma logis ics sys ems ha op imize ou es and educe
uel consump ion. By lowe ing he inancial bu den o adop ing g een
logis ics p ac ices, hese incen i es can c ea e a mo e sus ainable lo-
gis ics sec o while simul aneously suppo ing economic compe i i e-
ness. Second, s ic e en i onmen al egula ions a e essen ial o ensu e
ha logis ics ac i i ies a e conduc ed wi hin a sus ainabili y amewo k.
Go e nmen s should implemen clea and en o ceable emission s an-
da ds, pa icula ly o high-pollu ing logis ics ope a ions such as eigh
anspo a ion and wa ehousing. These egula ions could include
manda o y emission caps, uel e iciency equi emen s, and was e
managemen p o ocols o logis ics i ms.
Addi ionally, go e nmen s should encou age anspa ency by
equi ing companies o epo hei en i onmen al pe o mance, which
could be ied o a ce i ica ion sys em ha dis inguishes sus ainable
logis ics ope a o s om hei compe i o s. These egula ions d i e he
sec o owa d mo e sus ainable ope a ions and c ea e a compe i i e
ad an age o companies ha in es in eco- iendly logis ics, mee ing
egula o y equi emen s and consume demand o g eene se ices.
Thi d, go e nmen s should p io i ize esea ch, de elopmen , and
Table 4
Impac o LPI on ecological oo p in (EFP): global
e idence.
Va iables Coe icien
In e cep −4.931***
LPI −1.944***
IMP 0.448***
EXP −0.416***
GDP 0.961***
Adj.NNI −0.053***
R
2
0.844
Adjus ed R
2
0.842
No e: “*** shows ha esul s a e signi ican a he
le el o 1 %”; Sou ce: Au ho ’s calcula ions.
H. Cheng e al.
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 9 (2024) 100612
7
inno a ion in g een logis ics echnologies. This includes acili a ing
public-p i a e pa ne ships aimed a de eloping and deploying enew-
able ene gy sou ces, such as elec ic ehicles, sola -powe ed wa e-
houses, and o he sus ainable logis ics solu ions. Go e nmen s can play
an ins umen al ole by in es ing in in as uc u e, such as cha ging
s a ions o elec ic ehicles and in elligen anspo a ion sys ems,
which would suppo logis ics companies in ansi ioning o g eene
al e na i es.
Fu he mo e, public in es men s in esea ch can s imula e b eak-
h oughs in new echnologies ha can minimize en i onmen al impac s,
om mo e e icien eigh managemen sys ems o biodeg adable
packaging ma e ials. Fou h, os e ing collabo a ion be ween logis ics
companies and en i onmen al o ganiza ions is c ucial o aising
awa eness and p omo ing he exchange o knowledge on sus ainable
p ac ices. This can in ol e c ea ing pla o ms whe e companies can
sha e bes p ac ices, lessons lea ned, and new sus ainabili y inno a ions.
Go e nmen s could suppo hese collabo a ions h ough g an s and
incen i es o join sus ainabili y p ojec s, helping logis ics companies
inno a e in en i onmen ally and economically bene icial ways. Fi h,
sus ainabili y ce i ica ions should be in oduced and p omo ed wi hin
he logis ics indus y. Ce i ica ions would p o ide an objec i e bench-
ma k o companies o measu e and imp o e hei sus ainabili y e o s,
and companies holding hese ce i ica ions could bene i om enhanced
b and epu a ion, access o g een inancing, and inc eased cus ome
loyal y. This policy encou ages companies o adop eco- iendly p ac-
ices and signals o consume s and business pa ne s ha ce i ied
companies a e commi ed o en i onmen al s ewa dship.
While his s udy p o ides aluable insigh s in o he ela ionship
be ween logis ics pe o mance and en i onmen al sus ainabili y, i has
se e al limi a ions ha he o hcoming esea che s should add ess.
Fi s , ou analysis is based on a unique global da ase spanning 43
economies om 2010 o 2016. I does no del e in o egion-speci ic o
income-le el di e ences in logis ics pe o mance and en i onmen al
impac due o insu icien da a a ailabili y. These ac o s could signi i-
can ly in luence he esul s, as coun ies wi h di e ing le els o eco-
nomic de elopmen , in as uc u e quali y, and en i onmen al
egula ions may exhibi a ying ela ionships be ween logis ics e i-
ciency and sus ainabili y. Fu u e esea ch should ocus on conduc ing
egion- and income-speci ic analyses o be e unde s and how logis ics
ope a ions a ec en i onmen al quali y ac oss di e en con ex s. Such
s udies could o e a ge ed insigh s o policymake s, enabling hem o
c a mo e localized solu ions ha add ess he unique challenges aced
by di e en egions. Second, we used he EFP o measu e he en i on-
men al impac in his s udy. While EFP p o ides a b oade pe spec i e
han ca bon emissions alone, u u e esea che s migh conside using
o he en i onmen al indica o s o composi e indices, such as he en i-
onmen al pe o mance index (EPI), o global g een g ow h index
(GGGI) o measu e sus ainabili y.
Decla a ion o gene a i e AI and AI-assis ed echnologies in he
w i ing p ocess
Du ing he p epa a ion o his wo k, he au ho s used AI-assis ed
echnologies o imp o e language. A e using AI-assis ed echnolo-
gies, he au ho s e iewed and edi ed he con en as needed and ake ull
esponsibili y o he con en o he publica ion.
CRediT au ho ship con ibu ion s a emen
Haoyu Cheng: W i ing – o iginal d a , P ojec adminis a ion,
Me hodology, Concep ualiza ion. Hassan Rau Chaudh y: W i ing –
o iginal d a , So wa e, Me hodology, Fo mal analysis, Da a cu a ion,
Concep ualiza ion. I an Kazi: W i ing – o iginal d a , Valida ion,
P ojec adminis a ion, Me hodology, Concep ualiza ion. Muhammad
Uma : W i ing – o iginal d a , Supe ision, Me hodology,
Concep ualiza ion.
Appendix
Table A1
Lis o coun ies.
Albania Es onia La ia Poland S i Lanka
A menia G eece Lebanon Qa a Sy ian A ab Republic
Bah ain India Li huania Romania Thailand
Bangladesh Indonesia Malaysia Russian Fede a ion Uni ed A ab Emi a es
Bela us Is ael Moldo a Saudi A abia Uzbekis an
Bhu an Jo dan Myanma Se bia Vie nam
Bosnia and He zego ina Kazakhs an Nepal Singapo e Yemen, Rep.
China Kuwai Oman Slo ak Republic –
C oa ia Lao PDR Pakis an Slo enia –
Table A2
De ailed desc ip ion o a iables.
Va iable
Name
Desc ip ion
LPI Ou s udy u ilizes he Logis ics Pe o mance Index (LPI) as a key a iable. The LPI is an agg ega e measu e designed o assess a coun y’s logis ics e ec i eness,
cap u ing a ious elemen s c ucial o ade. These include he e iciency o cus oms clea ance, he quali y o in as uc u e ela ed o ade and anspo , he ease o
a anging shipmen s a compe i i e p ices, he quali y o logis ics se ices, and he abili y o ack and ace consignmen s. Addi ionally, he index conside s how
equen ly shipmen s each hei des ina ions on ime. The LPI anges om 1 o 5, whe e highe alues signi y be e logis ics pe o mance. The da a o his index
a e de i ed om su eys conduc ed by he Wo ld Bank in collabo a ion wi h academic ins i u ions, in e na ional bodies, and p i a e-sec o pa icipan s in global
logis ics. Each su ey collec s eedback on key logis ics pe o mance a eas om eigh o wa de s and logis ics p o essionals, co e ing majo impo and expo
ma ke s and egional neighbo s o landlocked coun ies. The inal sco e is calcula ed by a e aging he esul s ac oss he a ious dimensions, using s a is ical
me hods o ensu e accu acy. Mo e de ails on he su ey and index me hodology can be ound in he Wo ld Bank’s publica ion “Connec ing o Compe e 2010: T ade
Logis ics in he Global Economy (2010)”
(con inued on nex page)
H. Cheng e al.
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 9 (2024) 100612
8
