The high quality of the environment, protection of natural resources, efficient use of natural resources, and elimination of environmental burdens are the main priorities of sustainable development. Therefore, enterprises around the world have to manage the environment wisely, while avoiding negative effects on it. The aim of the paper was to examine the use of green and reverse logistics in the conditions of sustainable development in enterprises in Slovakia. The intention of the paper was to provide a theoretical overview of green and reverse logistics at home and abroad on the basis of the elaboration of a scientific bibliographic-information apparatus. Subsequent practical implementation of the questionnaire research and statistical verification of research results provides a basis for practical recommendations and conclusions for enterprises operating in Slovakia. The research topic of the paper was green and reverse logistics in companies in Slovakia. The research problem was the implementation and use of modern logistics under the influence of the environment. Based on these facts, statistical hypotheses were determined and subsequently tested. Descriptive statistics and inference statistics were used to interpret the research results. Based on the research, we found that the dominant position in green and reverse logistics in Slovakia was achieved by large production enterprises from the automotive industry, which operate in western Slovakia. The analysed enterprises in Slovakia use voluntary tools of environmental policy and the most important environmental tool is corporate social responsibility. Elements of environmental policy are used primarily in the logistics process of warehousing and storage. The biggest barrier in the implementation of elements of environmental logistics analysed by enterprises is the lack of financial resources. The implementation of green logistics and reverse logistics enables the analysed enterprises in Slovakia to improve customer-supplier relations. We can say that despite the government’s efforts, measures to minimize the environmental impact and growing public awareness of environmental issues, environmental problems persist. Initiatives can be seen at the global and national levels of enterprises that make quick decisions and set up new processes in environmental management.

Sustainable technologies, including clean energy in manufacturing and green and reverse logistics, generate conditions for industry development and future growth with the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies and innovations in the context of sustainable development goals (SDGs). The objective of the article is to identify and analyse the potential of sustainable technologies in synergy with Industry 4.0 innovations and renewable energy initiatives in manufacturing and logistics in the context of SDGs. Qualitative analysis was performed on 105 enterprises of various business sizes, in several regions of Slovakia, within various industry sectors, and within geographical coverage. Based on the summarised results, we can state that more than 82% of surveyed enterprises implement the SDGs. Currently, more than 70% of enterprises prefer environmental aspects in business management. Based on the results, we find a significant relationship between the environmental management of the enterprise in the context of SDGs and sustainability in production and logistics. Statistical analysis confirmed the relationship between the use of renewable energy technology in the industrial sector. A significant relationship was also demonstrated between sustainability in logistics activities in the industrial sector in waste separation and recycling; environmental certification; environmental training of employees; the use of renewable energy sources and the continuous reduction of CO₂ in all logistics activities. The results of the study indicate a significant relationship between green manufacturing, green logistics, reverse logistics and selected Industry 4.0 technologies: autonomous robots, renewable energy, advanced materials, virtual technologies, and simulation. We conclude the significant influence of environmental management on business production and logistics.

Background: The digital transformation towards Industry 4.0 has become a necessity for businesses as it makes them more flexible, agile and responsive. Logistics is no exception, as it is constantly undergoing a significant transformation supported by revolutionary Industry 4.0 technologies that are fundamentally changing logistics processes and operations. Methods: In the construction of the paper, the following classical scientific methods were used: analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, analogy, specification and comparison. Among the special scientific methods, the method of classification, concretisation, graphical methods, questionnaire survey and statistical methods were used. Results: The analysed enterprises perceive digital transformation in logistics. In the analysed enterprises in Slovakia, the Industry 4.0 strategy is implemented in logistics. Industry 4.0 in logistics has the largest representation in production logistics in each enterprise category. In implementing Industry 4.0 in logistics, enterprises confront the biggest barrier, namely, investment costs. Conclusions: Through one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Pearson’s correlation coefficient, several significant relationships were confirmed. The significant relationship between manufacturing logistics and selected Industry 4.0 technologies was demonstrated. The significant relationship between procurement logistics and selected Industry 4.0 technologies was also demonstrated. The statistical analysis also confirmed a significant relationship between distribution logistics and the selected Industry 4.0 technologies.

Modern trends in logistics of agricultural enterprises | Andrej Dupaľ, Patrik Richnák, Ľuboslav Szabo, Klaudia Porubanová | Agricultural Journals

New dimension of logistics innovations development in agricultural enterprises in Slovakia | Ľuboslav Szabo, Patrik Richnák, Klaudia Gubová | Agricultural Journals

Transport currently has the largest share of air pollution, among all sectors. Increasing air pollution caused by conventional cars brings an opportunity to develop electric cars, which are a green alternative in transport. The main aim of the article was to explain the terms related to electromobility through the literature and then to examine the total cost of electric cars and conventional cars on the example of selected four models. The comparison was made on the example of the best-selling four selected models: electric car, hybrid car, plug-in hybrid car and standard petrol car. The methods were used in the elaboration of the article: analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction and comparison. We used the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) method to process the results. The intention of the article was to point out the lower total cost of ownership for electric cars and to confirm the fact that electric cars are a profitable investment in the future.