New DECARBOMILE scientific publication!
DECARBOMILE partners’ teams from the Hamburg University of Technology (Technische Universität Hamburg – TUHH), Capillar IT, and Copenhagen Business School (CBS) have published an article entitled ‘Making last mile logistics models aware of customer choices, demand sustainability and data economy’, in the peer-reviewed Euroepan Transport Research Review in May 2025.
The researchers investigated last-mile logistics models and how to adapt them considering diverse factors.
A dedicated workshop in Logroño, Spain (one of the four Living Labs of the DECARBOMILE project), collected 29 main challenges for last-mile sustainability in the city. The subsequent analysis of challenges by logistics model component reveals the interdependencies among them. This enables the challenges to be ranked and priorities to be set accordingly.
As a conclusion of this paper, the researchers propose a three-fold approach. First, it provides a standardized method to identify use cases to decarbonise the last-mile logistics in different contexts. Second, the approach supports the development of a stakeholder-focused, effective decision support system that makes it possible to define, analyse, and compare scenarios based on sustainability targets. Ultimately, it fosters the design and deployment of sustainable last-mile systems as well as their replicability in different contexts.
As a result, the paper presents a new framework (tool) of last-mile cause-and-effect chain to identify potential sustainable logistics solutions embracing customer-centricity. It is more rigorous and criteria-based than existing qualitative toolkits. It builds on the experience from the Logroño Living Lab as well as other actions under the DECARBOMILE project and expands the perspective by offering a structured method for prioritisation of sustainability solutions based on their impact on the level of logistics sustainability. The prioritisation approach is essential for effective decision-making in sustainable logistics.
Putting customers’ needs and behaviours at the centre of logistics planning introduces a layer of complexity that the traditional logistics management models were not designed to handle. This new framework provides a standardized approach to prioritise actions that address the challenges and measuring their target impacts accordingly.
The framework (tool) sets the stage for developing effective, targeted actions. These actions can then be implemented with the involvement of relevant stakeholders – such as local authorities, or private companies involved in the last-mile logistics systems. As a next step, and in the future implementations of the approach, stakeholders should use ‘Objectives and Key Results’ which set ‘aspirational goals’ that drive meaningful change by clearly defining objectives and aligning actions with them. Therefore, these stakeholders would be able to address challenges in a more organized and effective manner.
Find the full text here: ‘Making last mile logistics models aware of customer choices, demand sustainability and data economy’
