مقاله انگلیسی رایگان در مورد نقش پایداری محیطی در انتخاب حالت حمل و نقل – امرالد ۲۰۱۷

Globalization and concerns related to climate change resulting from the environmental impacts of industrial production and trade have raised the profile of sustainability in business, and companies have started to turn environmental sustainability into a source of competitive advantage (see e.g. Corbett and Klassen, 2006; Carter and Easton, 2011; Lam and Dai, 2015). Transport is also essential for the economy and society, and in the light of the new challenges it must be environmentally sustainable (European Commission White paper, 2011). There are many stakeholders linked to environmentally sustainable development in transport – policy makers such as the European Union, national governments and NGOs, and members of supply chains such as shippers and logistics service providers (LSPs). Shippers make decisions on the purchase of transport, and LSPs play a key role in environmentally sustainable development by providing solutions for supply chains (Colicchia et al., 2013; Lam and Dai, 2015). The EU and the international community have agreed on the need to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions dramatically. It is reported that transport is responsible for 23% of the EU’s GHG emissions, being the second biggest source after the energy sector (European Strategy for Low-Emission Mobility, 2016). A goal has been set for transport to reduce its GHG emissions to around 20% below their 2008 level by the year 2030 (European Commission White paper, 2011). These figures are compelling evidence of the need for environmentally sustainable development in the transport sector, and of the need to study the role of environmental sustainability in the selection of the transport mode. In realizing these goals, the companies that make everyday decisions on how to transport obviously play a crucial role. The EU has promoted environmentally sustainable transport, and in particular intermodal transport for twenty years in order to make transport greener (Reis, 2014). Rail and waterborne intermodal transport has been suggested as an ideal way to increase the environmental sustainability. Currently, the most widely used modes – road and air transport – are the least environmentally efficient (Lammgård, 2012), with road transport being responsible for about 73% of GHG emissions in the EU in 2014 (EU Transport in figures, 2016). Despite all efforts, the figures show that the introduction of more environmentally sustainable transport modes has been slow. In fact, rail and inland waterborne transport still account for only about 12% and 4% respectively of all transports (EU Transport in figures, 2016). The EU’s target is for 30% of all road freight of over 300 km to shift to other modes, such as rail or waterborne transport, by 2030, facilitated by efficient and green freight corridors (European Commission White paper, 2011).