IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/endesu/v27y2025i6d10.1007_s10668-024-04471-2.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sustainability in B2C e-commerce: a literature review and future research opportunities in last-mile deliveries

Author

Listed:
  • Geísa Pereira Marcilio Nogueira

    (Universidade Candido Mendes)

  • Simone Vasconcelos Silva

    (Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência E Tecnologia Fluminense)

  • Lia Hasenclever

    (Universidade Candido Mendes)

  • João José Assis Rangel

    (Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência E Tecnologia Fluminense)

Abstract

During the past few years, last-mile distribution of business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce has changed logistics, as there are new economic and environmental challenges. Besides, sustainability and high levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with freight transport have not been considered. To help fill this gap, this paper reviews the literature on approaches used for environmental sustainability in B2C e-commerce goods deliveries and answers the research questions: What are the main approaches used to promote sustainability in last-mile distribution?; What benefits and opportunities generated by the sustainability of B2C e-commerce deliveries are related to the economic, environmental, and social axes?; What is the relation between the benefits and opportunities regarding the type of sustainability approaches of last-mile distribution (Logistics, Consumer, Logistics/Consumer)? For this, a systematic review of the literature was developed. The two primary aspects addressed in the literature are as follows: the first, concerning logistics and means of transportation; the second focus related to consumer behavior, suggesting consumer engagement based on conscious consumption and preference for more sustainable delivery options. The research was also based on the combination of logistics and consumers. The main benefits and opportunities identified were economical: logistics and operational costs; environmental: reduction of GHG emissions; and social: consumer behavior.

Suggested Citation

  • Geísa Pereira Marcilio Nogueira & Simone Vasconcelos Silva & Lia Hasenclever & João José Assis Rangel, 2025. "Sustainability in B2C e-commerce: a literature review and future research opportunities in last-mile deliveries," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 27(6), pages 12415-12436, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:endesu:v:27:y:2025:i:6:d:10.1007_s10668-024-04471-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s10668-024-04471-2
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10668-024-04471-2
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10668-024-04471-2?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Roland Hischier, 2018. "Car vs. Packaging—A First, Simple (Environmental) Sustainability Assessment of Our Changing Shopping Behaviour," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-12, August.
    2. Anja Buerke & Tammo Straatmann & Nick Lin-Hi & Karsten Müller, 2017. "Consumer awareness and sustainability-focused value orientation as motivating factors of responsible consumer behavior," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 11(4), pages 959-991, October.
    3. Zhou, Lin & Baldacci, Roberto & Vigo, Daniele & Wang, Xu, 2018. "A Multi-Depot Two-Echelon Vehicle Routing Problem with Delivery Options Arising in the Last Mile Distribution," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 265(2), pages 765-778.
    4. Liyi Zhang & Yi Zhang, 2013. "A Comparative Study of Environmental Impacts of Two Delivery Systems in the Business‐to‐Customer Book Retail Sector," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 17(3), pages 407-417, June.
    5. Agostino Nuzzolo & Antonio Comi & Luca Rosati, 2014. "City logistics long-term planning: simulation of shopping mobility and goods restocking and related support systems," International Journal of Urban Sciences, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(2), pages 201-217, July.
    6. Bruzzone, Francesco & Nocera, Silvio & Pesenti, Raffaele, 2023. "Feasibility and optimization of freight-on-transit schemes for the sustainable operation of passengers and logistics," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    7. Shuai CHUANMIN & Yang XIAOMIN & Zhang YUKUN & Shuai CHUANXI & Ding PENGHUI, 2014. "Consumer behavior on low-carbon agri-food purchase: a carbon labeling experimental study in China," Agricultural Economics, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 60(3), pages 133-146.
    8. Wei Qi & Lefei Li & Sheng Liu & Zuo-Jun Max Shen, 2018. "Shared Mobility for Last-Mile Delivery: Design, Operational Prescriptions, and Environmental Impact," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 20(4), pages 737-751, October.
    9. Cortes, Juan David & Suzuki, Yoshinori, 2020. "Vehicle Routing with Shipment Consolidation," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).
    10. Shenle Pan & Vaggelis Giannikas & Yufei Han & Etta Grover-Silva & Bin Qiao, 2017. "Using Customer-related Data to Enhance E-grocery Home Delivery," Post-Print hal-01482901, HAL.
    11. Bjørgen, Astrid & Bjerkan, Kristin Ystmark & Hjelkrem, Odd Andre, 2021. "E-groceries: Sustainable last mile distribution in city planning," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    12. Gong, Mengfeng & Gao, Yuan & Koh, Lenny & Sutcliffe, Charles & Cullen, John, 2019. "The role of customer awareness in promoting firm sustainability and sustainable supply chain management," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 217(C), pages 88-96.
    13. Guarino Neto, Luigi & Geraldo Vidal Vieira, José, 2023. "An investigation of consumer intention to use pick-up point services for last-mile distribution in a developing country," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mashalah, Heider Al & Hassini, Elkafi & Gunasekaran, Angappa & Bhatt (Mishra), Deepa, 2022. "The impact of digital transformation on supply chains through e-commerce: Literature review and a conceptual framework," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    2. Buldeo Rai, Heleen, 2021. "The net environmental impact of online shopping, beyond the substitution bias," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    3. Prencipe, Luigi Pio & Colovic, Aleksandra & Binetti, Mario & Ottomanelli, Michele, 2024. "Zero-emission vehicle adoption towards sustainable e-grocery last-mile delivery," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    4. John Olsson & Daniel Hellström & Henrik Pålsson, 2019. "Framework of Last Mile Logistics Research: A Systematic Review of the Literature," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-25, December.
    5. Peng, Xiaoshuai & Zhang, Lele & Thompson, Russell G. & Wang, Kangzhou, 2023. "A three-phase heuristic for last-mile delivery with spatial-temporal consolidation and delivery options," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    6. Lubna El-Sheikh & Rebeka Kovačič Lukman, 2022. "Developing a Framework for Closed-Loop Supply Chain and Its Impact on Sustainability in the Petrochemicals Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-15, March.
    7. Maja Kiba-Janiak & Katarzyna Cheba & Magdalena Mucowska & Leise Kelli de Oliveira, 2022. "Segmentation of e-customers in terms of sustainable last-mile delivery," Oeconomia Copernicana, Institute of Economic Research, vol. 13(4), pages 1117-1142, December.
    8. Marta Viu-Roig & Eduard J. Alvarez-Palau, 2020. "The Impact of E-Commerce-Related Last-Mile Logistics on Cities: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-19, August.
    9. Kunz, Nathan & Chesney, Thomas & Trautrims, Alexander & Gold, Stefan, 2023. "Adoption and transferability of joint interventions to fight modern slavery in food supply chains," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 258(C).
    10. Philip R. Walsh & Rachel Dodds & Julianna Priskin & Jonathon Day & Oxana Belozerova, 2021. "The Corporate Responsibility Paradox: A Multi-National Investigation of Business Traveller Attitudes and Their Sustainable Travel Behaviour," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-20, April.
    11. repec:iim:iimawp:14638 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Zhang, Dengjun & Xie, Yifan, 2022. "Customer environmental concerns and profit margin: Evidence from manufacturing firms," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    13. Zhang, Ruijuan & Dai, Ying & Yang, Fei & Ma, Zujun, 2024. "A cooperative vehicle routing problem with delivery options for simultaneous pickup and delivery services in rural areas," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    14. Magdalena Mucowska, 2021. "Trends of Environmentally Sustainable Solutions of Urban Last-Mile Deliveries on the E-Commerce Market—A Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-26, May.
    15. Nagel, Christian & Heidenreich, Sven & Schumann, Jan H., 2024. "Enhancing Adoption of Sustainable Product Innovations: Addressing Reduced Performance with Risk-Reducing Product Modifications," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    16. Potoczki, Tobias & Holzapfel, Andreas & Kuhn, Heinrich & Sternbeck, Michael, 2024. "Integrated cross-dock location and supply mode planning in retail networks," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 276(C).
    17. Hendri Sutrisno & Chao-Lung Yang, 2023. "A two-echelon location routing problem with mobile satellites for last-mile delivery: mathematical formulation and clustering-based heuristic method," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 323(1), pages 203-228, April.
    18. Dumez, Dorian & Lehuédé, Fabien & Péton, Olivier, 2021. "A large neighborhood search approach to the vehicle routing problem with delivery options," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 103-132.
    19. Eirini Triantafyllidou & Anastasia Zabaniotou, 2022. "From Theory to Praxis: ‘Go Sustainable Living’ Survey for Exploring Individuals Consciousness Level of Decision-Making and Action-Taking in Daily Life Towards a Green Citizenship," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 2(1), pages 113-139, March.
    20. Li, Hongqi & Wang, Haotian & Chen, Jun & Bai, Ming, 2020. "Two-echelon vehicle routing problem with time windows and mobile satellites," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 179-201.
    21. Pourrahmani, Elham & Jaller, Miguel, 2021. "Crowdshipping in last mile deliveries: Operational challenges and research opportunities," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:endesu:v:27:y:2025:i:6:d:10.1007_s10668-024-04471-2. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.