LOGMAN - LOGistics & MANufacturing trends and sustainable transport
Overview
Background & policy context:
Factors such as global competition, labour costs, recycling technologies and environmental restrictions, force companies to implement new logistics and manufacturing systems.
Most of these new systems (e.g. off-shoring) have negative impacts, as they induce additional freight transport. However, on the other hand, they are implemented as they have positive effects such as cheaper production processes (e.g. due to economies of scale) or even environmental benefits (e.g. due to recycling).
Objectives:
The objective of this study was:
- To give an insight into new logistics and manufacturing trends;
- To assess the impacts on economic and environmental sustainability;
- To provide scenario-based recommendations for European freight transport policy, considering both economic and environmental sustainability and;
- To improve existing tools (TRANSTOOLS, I-O tables) used for impact assessment and cost-benefit analysis.
Methodology:
This was done by analysing status and trends of external factors (world trade, policy and legislation, transport system, technology) and performing case studies in crucial economic sectors. These case studies analysed new best practices of logistics and manufacturing systems, where CO2 emissions are considered an important design criterion. These microeconomic results will be used to improve TRANSTOOLS and I-O tables.
Based on these results, a scenario analysis followed to estimate the possible impacts of these new best practices on European environmental (criteria: freight transport's carbon footprint, products logistics and manufacturing carbon footprint) and economic sustainability (criterion: economic growth). Storylines were developed and the likeliness, chances and risks were estimated. Lastly, the transport policy costs and benefits were assessed for the different scenarios. This led to recommendations for transport policy for the reduction of transport emissions without negative impacts on the other sustainability criteria.
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