Smart cities need energy-efficient and low-emission transportation for people and goods. Most studies focus on sustainable urban-transportation systems for passengers. Freight transportation in cities has increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to greenhouse gases emissions and negative externalities, such as traffic congestion. The purpose of this paper is to identify through a systematic literature review which innovations (hardware and software) applied by logistics service providers (LSPs) in sustainable urban freight (SUF) are suitable to support the transition to energy-efficient smart cities. We propose to classify the existing innovations in last-mile delivery for SUF into categories: (1) urban freight consolidation and/or trans-shipment; (2) the Consumer as a Service Provider (CaaSP); (3) choice of transportation modes. We introduce the concept of CaaSP as an innovative solution in last-mile delivery (LMD), where customers take over some transport operations with the use of smart technologies, and thus reduce the energy demand. We consider the modes of transportation, such as: drones, autonomous delivery robots, autonomous vehicles, cargo bikes (including e-cargo bikes, e-tricycles), electric vehicles (mainly vans), and combined passenger-and-cargo transportation rapid-transit systems. From the analyzed dataset, we find that energy-efficiency in smart cities can be improved by the consolidation of parcels in micro-depots, parcel lockers, and mobile depots. We analyze smart technologies (the Internet of things, big data, artificial intelligence, and digital twins), which enable energy efficiency by reducing the energy demand (fuel) of SUF, due to better operational planning and infrastructure sharing by logistics service providers. We propose a new IEE matrix as an actionable tool for the classification of innovations applied by LSPs in SUF, according to the level of their interconnectivity and energy efficiency. Additionally, this paper contributes to the theory by exploring possible future research directions for SUF in energy-efficient smart cities.

Logistics processes allow for the movement of goods along the supply chain to the customers. Companies are using digital solutions more widely to support their logistics processes. Current studies focus mainly on the intrinsic perspective of the digital maturity of logistics processes. Rarely do previous studies consider the impact of external factors (e.g., market trends, as external drivers at the strategic level) on the digital maturity of logistics processes. In this paper, our aim is to propose a novel generic approach to measuring the level of adoption of digital technologies in logistics processes. We applied the maturity model theory to provide a generic framework for the assessment of different partners in supply chains (suppliers, manufacturers, retailers, e-tailers, logistics service providers) in a homogeneous way. We propose the five levels (Avoiding, Discovering, Adopting, Improving, Excelling) to measure the frequency of the application of the digital technologies with high intelligence in the domain of logistics processes. Furthermore, we investigate the relationship between the selected market trends, which are external drivers at the strategic level, and the digital maturity of logics processes. We conducted the survey among a group of 38 companies to classify their maturity level and then to test which market trends motivate them to digitalize their processes. We applied Bayesian statistics to test the level of the relationship between the digitalization of logistics processes and four market trends, namely, the sustainability, e-commerce, sharing economy, and speed-orientation of customers. The results show that all the trends tested moderately and positively influence the digital maturity of logistics processes.

Poland is Europe’s leader in international freight transport. The majority of companies in the Polish logistics sector are small-sized enterprises with limited human and material resources, which reduces their ability to implement corporate social responsibility practices. In this paper, we explore the logistics solutions (tools and practices) implemented by companies in the logistics sector to manage their business operations through the prism of the triple bottom line (TBL). We assume that a company might achieve sustainable performance even if it focuses mainly on the implementation of logistics solutions for economic performance, as some of those tools and practices also have an impact on the environmental and social performance without being dedicated to them per se. We define sustainable logistics management maturity (SLMM), as the extent to which a company implements modern logistics solutions (tools and management practices) to improve performance with regard to the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of sustainability. Results from focus group research are presented, where experts have assessed the impact of tools and management practices in logistics management on the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of sustainability. Then, we define the overall sustainable logistics management maturity indicator (OSLMI) to allow comparison and benchmarking between companies in the logistics sector. The maturity theory is applied, as it is a suitable tool for the positioning and benchmarking of companies. Through the conceptual model, we link the capabilities of a company (expressed by the application of the logistics solutions) with factors related to the company’s characteristics (size, business profile, source of capital), and the ability of a company to achieve a certain maturity level. The maturity concept is used here to measure the effectiveness of the performance of companies. We use a database of 190 Polish companies from the logistics industry to verify three research hypotheses. Bayesian statistics is applied to verify the existence of a relation between the level of SLMM and a company’s characteristics (size, scope of economic activities, and structure of capital). Statistical analysis proves that the size of a company and the type of economic activities it engages in affect its ability to achieve a higher degree of maturity.