Analysis of the Sustainable Development Concepts in the Logistics Industry

Introduction

The concept of a green economy implies the realization of economic activities and the achievement of economic growth and development in accordance with the principles of environmental protection. In this sense, green growth can be defined as “growth that is efficient in the use of natural resources, minimizes pollution and environmental impacts, and takes into account natural hazards and the role of environmental management in preventing natural disasters” (World Bank, 2012, p. 30). In order to ensure the realization of the long-term sustainable development, it is necessary to encourage innovation in the sense of “green economic growth”, whereby innovation, green investment and improvement of the concept of the green economy through finding new models of environmental protection, can increase economic well-being in the long term (Jänicke, 2012). In the context of modern trends and principles of the green economy, international trade and logistics must find their role in the model of sustainable development and rise the opportunities to reduce global pollution and carbon dioxide emissions, which largely depend on logistics activities, such as international and local transport (Mariano et al., 2017).

Sustainable development, as a long-term, complex, and continuous process, is determined by a combination of economic, social, and environmental factors (Šulskytė, 2019). The logistics sector enables the efficient functioning of national, regional, and international trade (Bugarčić et al., 2020; Zaninović et al., 2020), with the growing volume of activities at the global level requiring the analysis of logistics in the context of sustainable development. The contribution of logistics to the model of sustainable development can be seen through the concept of green logistics, which respects the requirements related to environmental protection and the reduction of harmful gas emissions due to the transportation of goods. Also, it is necessary to look at the long-term perspective of logistics development in the future and analyze the possibilities for implementing innovative solutions in the transportation of goods, which would directly enable the realization of sustainable development goals in terms of reducing pollution and increasing the efficiency of transport. Requirements for the full use of potential by the principles of the circular economy impose the need for reverse logistics analysis, which represents a model for efficient use of resources and optimization of processes and activities, whereby the role of reverse logistics can be considered as a component and potential factor of industrial development in the future.

For this reason, green logistics represents a possible way in which countries could redirect their existing industrial and trade strategies in order to enable an ecologically acceptable model of development of the entire economy. In the realization of that goal, it is necessary to raise awareness among companies in the logistics sector about the importance of environmental sustainability (Lieb & Lieb, 2010). With the growing interest in advanced services, logistics providers face the challenge of providing environmentally sustainable services, which poses the problem of how to put the trends towards the development of green logistics concepts into practice in an efficient and purposeful way. The solution to this can be found in the development of green strategies at the national level, which would enable the realization of sustainable development goals related to logistics and increase the awareness of service users about the effects of green initiatives (Evangelista, 2014; Centobelli et al., 2020). Additionally, countries' trade policies must be committed to urgently reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The fight against climate change and the prevention of harmful effects on the planet and society requires significant changes at the global level in production, international trade, and the logistics industry. The identified gap in the current literature refers to the lack of research that analyses the possibilities of the logistics system in achieving the goals of sustainable development.