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This study reviews scholarly work in sustainable green logistics and remanufacturing (SGLR) and their subdisciplines, in combination with bibliometric, thematic and content analyses that provide a viewpoint on categorization and a future research agenda. This paper provides insight into current research trends in the subjects of interest by examining the most essential and most referenced articles promoting sustainability and climate-neutral logistics.

For the literature review, the authors extracted and sifted 2180 research and review papers for the period 2008–2023 from the Scopus database. The authors performed bibliometric and content analyses using multiple software programs such as Gephi, VOSviewer and R programming.

The SGLR papers can be grouped into seven clusters: (1) The circular economy facets; (2) Decarbonization of operations to nurture a climate-neutral business; (3) Green sustainable supply chain management; (4) Drivers and barriers of reverse logistics and the circular economy; (5) Business models for sustainable logistics and the circular economy; (6) Transportation problems in sustainable green logistics and (7) Digitalization of logistics and supply chain management.

In this review, fundamental ideas are established, research gaps are identified and multiple future research subjects are proposed. These propositions are categorized into three main research streams, i.e. (1) Digitalization of SGLR, (2) Enhancing scopes, sectors and industries in the context of SGLR and (3) Developing more efficient and effective climate-neutral and climate change-related solutions and promoting more environmental-related and sustainability research concerning SGLR. In addition, two conceptual models concerning SGLR and climate-neutral strategies are developed and presented for managers and practitioners to consider when adopting green and sustainability principles in supply chains. This review also highlights the need for academics to go beyond frameworks and build new techniques and instruments for monitoring SGLR performance in the real world.

This study provides an overview of the evolution of SGLR; it also clarifies concepts, environmental concerns and climate change practices, particularly those directed to supply chain management.

This issue contains abstract under the following headings: Logistics & Distribution Strategy; Supply Chain Management; IT in Logistics & Distribution; Just‐in‐Time Management; and Accounting for Logistics.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of inventory management articles published in major logistics outlets, identify themes from the literature and provide future direction for inventory management research to be published in logistics journals.

Articles published in major logistics articles, beginning in 1976, which contribute to the inventory management literature are reviewed and cataloged. The articles are segmented based on major themes extracted from the literature as well as key assumptions made by the particular inventory management model.

Two major themes are found to emerge from logistics research focused on inventory management. First, logistics researchers have focused considerable attention on integrating traditional logistics decisions, such as transportation and warehousing, with inventory management decisions, using traditional inventory control models. Second, logistics researchers have more recently focused on examining inventory management through collaborative models.

This paper catalogs the inventory management articles published in the major logistics journals, facilitates the awareness and appreciation of such work, and stands to guide future inventory management research by highlighting gaps and unexplored topics in the extant literature.

This paper analyzes managerial practices currently used for outsourced logistics activities in mechanized cutting, loading and transportation (CLT) of sugarcane in a Brazilian company using performance-based logistics contracts (PBL) as reference.

The methodology draws on literature review, design of an analysis model, small group meetings with academics/industry professionals and practical application through a case study. The model is based on PBL and its construction involved choosing the analysis axes, defining evaluation items and respective measurement scale and the means and sources of data collection.

When comparing the evaluation results with PBL recommendations, it is possible to see that there are still many improvement opportunities. In contracting axis, decision-making process was poor-rated due to the absence of strategic considerations to support outsourcing decision. Procurement, contract and implementation are in intermediate level. Performance management is the most mature axis. However, quality analysis showed intermediate level. In relationship axis, the most relevant gap is the lack of expectations alignment. Remaining items showed intermediate levels of compliance but still need focusing on communication, establishing a structured relationship management development.

This study contributes first to develop an analysis model based on PBL to evaluate the level of relationship integration between company and logistics service provider, and second, to apply the model to an empirical case in a CLT company operation. As a result, the analysis model presents guidelines for the company, not to just contract/rent equipment and manpower but hire results.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between corporate and supply chain strategy, as well as its implementation in a multinational paper producing company. Traditionally paper producing companies have had a strong interest in developing a physical infrastructure for their customer deliveries. However, supply chain thinking is still an unstructured issue in the case company.

This research work is mainly based on the case company's strategy material and interviews with senior management, is mainly qualitative and is based on a constructive research approach aimed at trying to find a workable and forward looking solution based on the three strategies.

The core findings concern the individual business division strategies, which jointly comprise the corporate strategy. Some of the business divisions do have a certain amount of supply chain management aims in their strategies. Furthermore, there is no real corporate supply chain strategy.

The research was conducted at a company with strong presence in Northern Europe, which limits its applicability. Thus, the research results mainly reflect a Northern European business environment and cannot be generalized on a global level.

The conclusions of the research work include a recommendation for a new management model for the corporate supply chain strategy, which is based on cooperation between the business divisions and logistics organization.

The value of this paper is based on the practical analysis of the case company's business divisions' strategies and interactivity between the logistics organization and the implementation of its strategy.

Lean and Six Sigma are the two most powerful methodologies for process improvement. They have been widely employed in manufacturing and healthcare industries to achieve substantial cost savings and quality improvement. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the implementation of Lean and Six Sigma for improving logistics operations.

A survey was conducted among 410 companies registered under the Singapore Logistics Association and returned 32 usable responses. χ²-tests were used to identify factors affecting the implementation of Lean and Six Sigma.

It was found that 37.5 per cent of respondents had implemented Lean and the majority of them had implemented Six Sigma together. All implementing companies reported varying degrees of cost savings and productivity improvements. Large logistics companies are more likely to implement Lean and Six Sigma. Companies with a higher service standard are more likely to implement Six Sigma.

The survey was limited to Singapore. Future studies should explore a broader geographical coverage and improve the response rate.

Lean and Six Sigma are applicable for improving logistics operations. Senior management must be committed to support an implementation. Effective training and communications are required for overcoming resistance to change and helping employees to understand improvement methodologies and initiatives.

This research is the very first survey study of Lean and Six Sigma in the logistics industry. It reveals similarities and differences in comparison with the implementation of these methodologies in the manufacturing industry. The findings offer valuable insights for improving logistics operations.

Provides a critique of the present state of the art of productivity and performance measurement and management in logistics. The nature of logistics makes normal measures of productivity, based on an output/input concept, not always appropriate. Indicator or proxy approaches can be more suitable and would relate the quality of the system to total cost, complementing conventional total productivity thinking. Highlights the main ingredients of strategic logistics performance. Develops analytical frameworks and models to aid management in planning and decision making, both operationally and strategically. Discusses the challenges of such integrated approaches, accentuating the effectiveness of the productivity philosophy in logistics. The competitive key battlegrounds include quality, productivity, speed and innovation, all linked to good business ethics. Compares Japanese and Western logistics management approaches to productivity and performance.

This paper aims to review logistics and supply chain management topics where theories have been applied to better understand the supply chain management (SCM) discipline identity. The purpose is threefold: to identify research topics in logistics and supply chain management where one or more theories have been examined; provide commentary on the theories that have been applied to the various logistics and SCM research topics; and to provide reference material and direction for future research.

This structured literature review (SLR) examines research papers in logistics and SCM from 1991 to 2015 published in eight leading academic journals. Papers in the data set are grouped by topic and further analyzed in terms of research method, purpose, year and journal.

This research categorizes papers by the topics that were studied to understand important insights about how these topics have been examined by researchers. Within each topic area, theories that researchers have used to investigate the topics are identified. This method exposes insights such as: how topics have evolved over time, which topics have lost prominence, which topics may be particularly promising for future research and how topics are treated in the literature.

Despite multiple calls for clarification regarding how theory has been used in logistics and SCM, the logistics and SCM disciplines continue to grow without adequate research on how theory has been used to examine SCM topics. This SLR therefore provides a broad compilation of logistics and SCM research that uses named theories and that is organized by SCM topic to better understand the SCM discipline.

Key components of the logistics mix are described in an effort to create an understanding of the total logistics concept. Chapters include an introduction to logistics; the strategic role of logistics, customer service levels, channel relationships, facilities location, transport, inventory management, materials handling, interface with production, purchasing and materials management, estimating demand, order processing, systems performance, leadership and team building, business resource management.

Due to its fast growth, cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) is becoming a popular internationalization model, especially in those destination markets with impressive e-commerce development like China. However, CBEC also brings new logistics challenges and uncertainty. This paper aims to understand how companies cope with logistics uncertainty in this field and whether the different types of uncertainty influence the risk management strategies adopted to face them.

A survey targeting online exporters to China and third-party forwarding logistics service providers (3PFLs) is conducted. A structural equation model (SEM) analysis is performed to test the possible relationship between the adopted risk management strategies and the types of uncertainty. The type, industry and size of the company, as well as the distance between the company's home country and China, are used as control variables in the study. Survey results are enriched via interviews with some of the respondents.

The risk management strategies adopted are dependent on the type of logistics uncertainty that the companies face and, to a minor extent, on the industry the company operates in. Conversely, no significant influence is exerted by other types of control factors, i.e. home country, company size or company type.

The paper investigates logistics uncertainty and risk management approaches in the novel context of CBEC. A systematic review of relevant sources of uncertainty is offered to help both scholars and practitioners understand the current complexities of CBEC. From a theoretical perspective, the paper models the investigated concepts in light of the contingency approach. From a practical perspective, results can be of interest since the list of proposed items can support risk identification and evaluation while the interviews with managers can provide insights on risk management practices.