What are sustainable logistics? And more importantly, how can businesses and policymakers implement
sustainability into logistics operations?
Sustainable logistics are logistics that minimize negative environmental impacts while ensuring the
efficient flow of goods within supply chains. To enhance sustainability in logistics, it is essential to decouple
the sector’s environmental impact from the economic growth it supports. As the backbone of the economy,
the logistics sector plays a crucial role in facilitating the movement of goods for individuals and businesses.
The sector contributes to over a 10th of the global gross domestic product (GDP) and a 10th of global
emissions and is expected to grow from US$8.9 trillion in 2023 to US$18.2 trillion by 2030,1
leading to increased energy security risks, carbon emissions, urban air pollution, and public health issues. To enhance
sustainability in logistics, it is essential to decouple the sector’s environmental impact from the economic
growth it supports.
The G20 nations house two-thirds of the global population and are responsible for over three-quarters
of global trade and GDP. They can greatly influence the transformation of the logistics sector. This report
highlights near- and long-term actions that G20 stakeholders can take to improve sustainability in the
logistics sector. It offers actionable insights into how policymakers and business decision makers can
transition to a clean, optimized, and cost-effective system capable of driving economic growth and
sustainable development.
The solutions feature strategies across four areas: (1) logistics operations, (2) policy drivers, (3) infrastructure
development, and (4) financial investments. Furthermore, the report outlines system-level changes the
G20 forum can drive by elevating the importance of logistics sustainability, creating a logistics task force
within the G20, enabling knowledge sharing, developing actionable targets, and establishing criteria to
assess sustainable logistics. The corporate and government-led actions outlined in this report can shape the
sustainable logistics future — yielding significant economic, environmental, and societal benefits