Solving Transport Problems

3Transport Pooling: Moving Toward Green Distribution

Supply chain pooling is a powerful strategy used to improve the profits and performance of the supply chain. From this perspective, the pooling of shipments has been highlighted and recently studied in several publications. In this context, this chapter attempts to, first, present a general framework for logistical sharing and collaboration and, second, to present a review of the literature in order to follow how these concepts are applied. Subsequently, in the case of distribution in urban and interurban environments, a conceptual framework modeling transport pooling is presented through various scenarios. Finally, we end with an analysis of the proposed scenarios in terms of minimizing the distances traveled and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Consequently, this work allows those people who make use of pooling to choose the most appropriate scenario while pooling resources in order to reduce GHG emissions.

3.1. Introduction

Some logistics activities contribute to congestion, pollution, and wasting of resources. These activities can affect delivery efficiency, mobility, the environment, and human health. This explains the need to develop other strategies in order to create new and more efficient logistics systems such as collaborative logistics. In this case, the shared supply chain is proving to be a useful choice for producers and logistics service providers to improve their economic and environmental performances.