The sustainable logistics business case (SLBC) provides underlying argumentation to convince decision makers to approve initiatives within sustainable logistics. Little knowledge exists on how companies conduct SLBCs or the challenges that need to be addressed. The purpose of this paper is to explore how companies conduct SLBCs, to increase the understanding of how perceived challenges can be addressed. Potential challenges were identified in literature on business cases models in general and sustainable logistics business cases. As third-party logistics providers (3PL) are big contributors to emissions and often are responsible for designing logistics setups, they were focused in the empirical study. How SLBC were conducted was investigated based on interviews with managers responsible for conducting SLBCs and the responses triangulated with information derived from actual business cases. Despite the careful selection of 3PLs well ahead within the area, few challenges were perceived by the studied companies. This does not imply that challenges do not exist but can rather be described as a consequence of their pragmatic and inward-looking perspective. Examples of how to address challenges are provided. The compiled list of SLBC challenges provides an overview that was missing in literature. 

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore and illustrate ways in which the world’s largest retailers describe their logistics-related environmental considerations, their environmental indicators applied to measure the effects of these considerations and their environmental consciousness in their CSR reports.

Design/methodology/approach – Classification models are developed via a literature review on logistics-related environmental considerations, indicators and consciousness. A content analysis approach is then applied to examine CSR reports from 12 of the world’s largest retailers.

Findings – Few retailers show environmental considerations in all logistics activities, but purchasing is especially well described. Even if many retailers claim to use the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework, no one uses is completely. Judging consciousness from CSR reports raised a number of questions.

Research limitations/implications – A contribution to theory is the development of two classification models. The first provides a description structure for environmental considerations related to logistics activities. The second expands the GRI indicator framework by incorporating a structure for logistics activities.

Practical implications – The classification models developed can be an important mean for managers and also consumers to judge the environmental sustainability of retailers by their CSR reports.

Social implications – The study makes a social contribution with its input on sustainability and especially environmental issues.

Originality/value – Few studies have focused upon environmentally sustainable logistics in retail chains, and even fewer address how to measure environmental sustainability in this context.

Purpose: Sustainability has become an important aspect for improving logistics, and the development ofmore sustainable logistics operations calls for innovative thinking. The purpose of this study isto explore how the sustainable logistics innovation (SLI) process is managed by some retailersand LSPs in order to suggest a framework for describing and analysing the SLI process.

Design/methodology/approach: Literature on general, logistics and sustainable innovation processes is studied. A multiple-casestudy in five Swedish retailers and LSPs is conducted. With a pattern-matching approach, theSLI processes in the companies are analysed and a framework is suggested.

Findings: A framework for the SLI process is suggested and its differences from general innovationprocesses are highlighted, such as the use of 3BL business cases. It shows the characteristics ofthe SLI process and which actors that are involved. The SLI process can vary largely and stillgenerate SLIs. However, managerial improvement potentials were found in several phases ofthe process.

Research limitations/implications: This study addresses the lack of empirically based research in logistics innovation and expandsit to retailers. It expands our knowledge into SLI, where the framework can be applied tostructure and understand SLI processes, and to identify improvement potentials.

Practical limitations/implications: Managerial implications are found in the limited customer involvement in idea generation andthe often “secret” way of evaluating ideas. As the companies can be seen as forerunners in SLI,managers can get inspiration by studying how the process is managed.

Originality/value: Very few studies are found in the area of sustainable logistics innovation.

Measuring logistics quality is related to meeting customer expectations and needs, regardless of what those may be. Both over- and under-performance of logistics quality were found in previous studies. Diverging perceptions of logistics performance between customer and supplier were also fo.und in previous studies. The importance of defining relevant performance metrics was found in performance management theory, where defining is the basis for measurement, analysis and improvement. From quality management theory the idea of working With quality deficiencies was borrowed. Quality deficiencies are a metric supporting a performance management approach. A possible explaining variable for logistics quality deficiencies to study was information quality of order information. The overall research question of this study was "How can logistics quality deficiencies be used as a basis of performance management in the dyadic order fulfillment process and how is information quality related to logistics quality deficiencies? With a positivistic, hypothetic/deductive and quantitative approach the research question was addressed. Survey was chosen as the data generating method. The population to address was the dyadic order fulfillment process between Swedish manufacturing companies with over 100 employees in four industries represented by purchasing managers, and their most important Swedish supplier, represented by the purchasing manager's contact person. 136 dyads were captured which corresponded to a response rate of 36%.

Four types of logistics quality deficiencies (LQDs) were found. External performance LQDs were found on all nine studied dimensions (promised lead time, on-time delivery, rush orders when needed, promised inventory availability, undamaged deliveries, accurate orders, accurate invoices, availability of delay information and convenient order placement procedures) of logistics quality. Inter-organizational interpretation LQDs were found to exist on six out of nine dimensions. This gap was however positive in suppliers over-target customers' expected logistics quality. Internal performance LQDs were found on all nine dimensions. Inter-organizational perception LQDs were found on all nine dimensions. Suppliers rate their performance higher than customers do. Information quality in the dyadic order fulfillment process was assessed for order and forecast information. Information quality deficiencies (IQDs) were found for both order and forecast information. Inter-organizational perception IQDs were found. The impact of information quality on internal performance LQDs was also studied. Some impact of information quality on internal performance LQDs was altogether found.

The dyadic research perspective applied is a valuable expansion of the commonly used logistics methodology. To logistics performance measurement theory, a new approach for process-based logistics performance measurement was shown. The study has stressed the importance of collaborative definition of relevant performance metrics in the dyad, as a basis for performance management. Together with scales for measuring deficiency types, descriptive contributions were made. By studying the impact of information quality, also explanative contribution was given. Quality management theory was expanded by showing a new application for quality deficiencies. Practical contribution is a new awareness of the mechanisms in the order fulfillment process, together with an understanding of the state of communication in important dyads. This could be the foundation for practical logistics performance measurement applications were better metrics could avoid diverging perceptions and better synchronize measurement systems and targets.

Focusing on reduced quality deficiency costs (QDC) is one way of managing a quality project. Theory treats this in a simplified way. The aim of this study is to explain three ways to reduce QDC. The empirical part of the study is an extensive case study conducted in a printing company. Embedded units of analysis are two departments. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected during 2,5 years, mostly by participating observation. QDC showed a short-term variation.

Activities of conformance, what is actually done to reduce QDC, showed no relationships with reduced QDC. Studied activities were appraisal routines, education and appraisal equipment. Handling of a problem solving process, how work is conducted, showed a clear relationship with reduced QDC. A complete PDCA-cycle leads to reduced QDC. Exogenic factors, factors not directly related to quality management, were found to affect the short-term variation. Heavy workload, few orders and continuous time reduced QDC.