Keywords
macroeconomic conditions
logistics sector
Categories
How to Cite
Abstract
Sustainable development in logistics involves integrating economic, social, and environmental goals within transport and storage. In practice, it means reducing greenhouse gas emissions through eco-friendly fleets and green storage solutions. In the context of the EU Green Deal and the "Fit for 55" package, analyzing macroeconomic factors influencing sustainable logistics (SDLog) is crucial. This study compares six EU countries between 2008–2023: three developed (France, Germany, the Netherlands) and three transition economies (Czech Republic, Poland, Romania). A synthetic SDLog index was built from 18 variables covering environmental, economic, and social dimensions. The analysis followed two stages: OLS regression for each country and fixed-effect panel models for the two groups. Results show GDP has a universally positive effect on sustainable logistics. In developed economies, inflation and growth dynamics also matter, while in transition economies, wages and trade balance are more significant. The findings underline the importance of tailoring public policies and logistics strategies to country-specific macroeconomic conditions. Future research should expand the analysis to include institutional and technological factors, as well as apply dynamic models to capture long-term development paths.
References
Alam, S. Factors influencing sustainable logistics: Sustainability in logistics. South Asian Journal of Operations and Logistics 2023, 2(1), 48–62. https://doi.org/10.57044/SAJOL.2023.2.1.2304
Barakat, M.; Gerged, A. M. Does logistics performance foster sustainable development? A moderated mediation effect. International Journal of Social Economics 2025, ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSE-05-2024-0392
Barathi, G.; Murugesan, R.; Murugesan, S. Analysing the drivers for implementing smart supply chain management in Indian industries by using the analytic hierarchy process. International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology 2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-024-14946-1
Barut, A.; Citil, M.; Ahmed, Z.; et al. How do economic and financial factors influence green logistics? A comparative analysis of E7 and G7 nations. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2023, 30, 1011–1022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-22252-0
Bekun, F. V.; Adedoyin, F. F.; Lorente, D. B.; et al. Designing policy framework for sustainable development in Next-5 largest economies amidst energy consumption and key macroeconomic indicators. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2022, 29, 16653–16666. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-16820-z
Binsuwadan, J. Transport sector emissions and environmental sustainability: Empirical evidence from GCC economies. Sustainability 2024, 16(23), 10760. https://doi.org/10.3390/su162310760
Cai, L. Macroeconomic determinants and their impact on environmental sustainability: The role of cultural and creative product prices. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2023, 30, 75908–75924. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-27425-z
Chen, M.; Tan, X.; Zhu, J.; et al. Can supply chain digital innovation policy improve the sustainable development performance of manufacturing companies? Humanities and Social Sciences Communications 2025, 12, 307. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04601-9
de Abreu, V. H. S.; Santos, A. S.; Monteiro, T. G. M. Climate change impacts on the road transport infrastructure: A systematic review on adaptation measures. Sustainability 2022, 14(14), 8864. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148864
Gajdosikova, D.; Vojtekova, S. Comparative analysis of business environment dynamics in Central and Eastern Europe: A multi-criteria approach. Economies 2024, 12(12), 320. https://doi.org/10.3390/economies12120320
Grzesiak, S. S.; Sulich, A. Electromobility: Logistics and business ecosystem perspectives review. Energies 2023, 16(21), 7249. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16217249
Gunn, S.; Butler, R.; De Block, G.; Høghøj, M.; Thelle, M. Cities, infrastructure and the making of modern citizenship: The view from north-west Europe since c. 1870. Urban History 2023, 50(3), 565–583. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0963926821000882
Hoang, T. H.; Tran, T. T.; Huynh, L. N. T.; et al. Advances and barriers in promoting green logistics 4.0 from a multi-stakeholder perspective: A systematic review. Environmental Systems and Decisions 2025, 45, 14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10669-025-10006-5
Jomthanachai, S.; Wong, W. P.; Khaw, K. W. An application of machine learning to logistics performance prediction: An economics attribute-based of collective instance. Computational Economics 2024, 63, 741–792. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10614-023-10358-7
Kwilinski, A. GDP per capita vs foreign direct investment: Key drivers of a country’s technological leadership. Technological and Economic Development of Economy 2025, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.3846/tede.2025.22857
László, T. Economic convergence of Central and Eastern European countries in the European Union. Political Research Exchange 2025, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2474736X.2025.2507633
Lehmacher, W. (2021). Digitizing and automating processes in logistics. Disrupting Logistics 2021, 15-30. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61093-7_2
Malkowska, A.; Malkowski, A. International trade in transport services between Poland and the European Union. Sustainability 2021, 13(1), 424. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010424
Bell, M. G. H. City logistics and the urban environment. Urban Form and Accessibility 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-819822-3.00021-3
Moreno, J.; Campagnolo, L.; Boitier, B.; et al. The impacts of decarbonization pathways on Sustainable Development Goals in the European Union. Communications Earth & Environment 2024, 5, 136. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01309-7
Sikder, M.; Wang, C.; Rahman, M. M.; Yeboah, F. K.; Alola, A. A.; Wood, J. Green logistics and circular economy in alleviating CO₂ emissions: Does waste generation and GDP growth matter in EU countries? Journal of Cleaner Production 2024, 449, 141708. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.141708
Nikseresht, A.; Golmohammadi, D.; Zandieh, M. Sustainable green logistics and remanufacturing: A bibliometric analysis and future research directions. The International Journal of Logistics Management 2024, 35(3), 755–803. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLM-03-2023-0085
Okyere, S.; Yang, J.; Adams, C. A. Optimizing the sustainable multimodal freight transport and logistics system based on the genetic algorithm. Sustainability 2022, 14(18), 11577. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141811577
Ozdemir, S.; Demirel, N.; Zaralı, F.; et al. Multi-criteria assessment framework for evaluation of Green Deal performance. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2024, 31, 4686–4704. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-31370-2
Rodionov, O. Ways to successfully develop and manage a business in the transport sector in a competitive environment. American Journal of Industrial and Business Management 2025, 15, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.4236/ajibm.2025.151001
Rokhadi, Setyawati, H. T.; Novida, D. R.; Hariyanti; Mariyani, D. Infrastructure governance and economic dynamics: Enhancing national competitiveness from a macroeconomic perspective. Journal of Contemporary Administration and Management (ADMAN) 2024, 2(1), 458–463. https://doi.org/10.61100/adman.v2i1.173
Rosário, A. T.; Figueiredo, J. Sustainable entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility: Analysing the state of research. Sustainable Environment 2024, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/27658511.2024.2324572
Scrioșteanu, A.; Criveanu, M. M. Green and reserve logistics of packaging and plastic packaging waste under the conditions of circular economy at the level of the European Union member states. Energies 2024, 17(12), 3015. https://doi.org/10.3390/en17123015
Shang, H.; Su, F.; Yüksel, S.; Dinçer, H. Identifying the strategic priorities of the technical factors for the sustainable low carbon industry based on macroeconomic conditions. SAGE Open 2021, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211016345
Sikder, M.; Wang, C.; Yeboah, F. K.; et al. Driving factors of CO₂ emission reduction in the logistics industry: An assessment of the RCEP and SAARC economies. Environment, Development and Sustainability 2024, 26, 2557–2587. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-022-02840-3
Skordoulis, M.; Kavoura, A.; Stavropoulos, A.-S.; Zikas, A.; Kalantonis, P. Financial stability and environmental sentiment among millennials: A cross-cultural analysis of Greece and the Netherlands. International Journal of Financial Studies 2025, 13(2), 64. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijfs13020064
Stefanis, C.; Stavropoulos, A.; Stavropoulou, E.; Tsigalou, C.; Constantinidis, T. C.; Bezirtzoglou, E. A spotlight on environmental sustainability in view of the European Green Deal. Sustainability 2024, 16(11), 4654. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114654
Susanty, A.; Puspitasari, N. B.; Jati, S.; Selvina, O. Impact of internal and external factors on halal logistics implementation. Journal of Islamic Marketing 2022, 13(5), 1143–1170. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-09-2020-0293
Trishch, R. M.; Sichinava, A.; Bartoš, V.; Stasiukynas, A.; Schieg, M. Comparative assessment of economic development in the countries of the European Union. Journal of Business Economics and Management 2023, 24(1), 20–36. https://doi.org/10.3846/jbem.2023.18320
Turan, B.; Hemmelmayr, V.; Larsen, A.; et al. Transition towards sustainable mobility: The role of transport optimization. Central European Journal of Operations Research 2024, 32, 435–456. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10100-023-00888-8
Wani, M. J. G.; Loganathan, N.; Mujalli, A. The impact of sustainable development goals (SDGs) on tourism growth: Empirical evidence from G-7 countries. Cogent Social Sciences 2024, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2024.2397535
Werner-Lewandowska, K.; Golinska-Dawson, P. Sustainable logistics management maturity—The theoretical assessment framework and empirical results from Poland. Sustainability 2021, 13(9), 5102. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13095102
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Magdalena Kowalska, Anna Misztal