10 1108 - Ijlm 02 2022 0086

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/0957-4093.htm
Greening warehouses through Greening

warehouses: a
energy efficiency and conceptual
framework
environmental impact reduction:
a conceptual framework based on 199
a systematic literature review Received 5 November 2021
Revised 25 June 2022
16 February 2023
Sara Perotti and Claudia Colicchia 18 July 2023
Accepted 6 August 2023
Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering,
Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework of green strategies as a combination of energy-
efficiency measures and solutions towards environmental impact reduction for improving environmental
sustainability at logistics sites. Such measures are examined by discussing the related impacts, motivations
and barriers that could influence the measures’ adoption. Starting from the framework, directions for future
research in this field are outlined.
Design/methodology/approach – The proposed framework was developed starting from a systematic
literature review (SLR) approach on 60 papers published from 2008 to 2022 in international peer-reviewed
journals or conference proceedings.
Findings – The framework identifies six main areas of intervention (“green strategies”) towards green
warehousing, namely Building, Utilities, Lighting, Material Handling and Automation, Materials and
Operational Practices. For each strategy, specific energy-efficiency measures and solutions towards
environmental impact reduction are further pinpointed. In most cases, “green-gold” measures emerge as the
most appealing, entailing environmental and economic benefits at the same time. Finally, for each measure the
relationship with the measures’ primary impacts is discussed.
Originality/value – From an academic viewpoint, the framework fills a major gap in the scientific literature
since, for the first time, this study elaborates the concept of green warehousing as a result of energy-efficiency
measures and solutions towards environmental impact reduction. A classification of the main areas of
intervention (“green strategies”) is proposed by adopting a holistic approach. From a managerial perspective,
the paper addresses a compelling need of practitioners – e.g. logistics service providers (LSPs), manufacturers
and retailers – for practices and solutions towards greener warehousing processes to increase energy efficiency
and decrease the environmental impact of the practitioners’ logistics facilities. In this sense, the proposed
framework can provide valuable support for logistics managers that are about to approach the challenge of
turning the managers’ warehouses into greener nodes of the managers’ supply chains.
Keywords Green warehousing, Systematic literature review, Environmental sustainability, Motivations,
Barriers
Paper type Conceptual paper
1. Introduction
Traditionally, logistics activities have been mostly focused on balancing efficiency,
expressed in terms of cost reduction and effectiveness, measured through service level
© Sara Perotti and Claudia Colicchia. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published
under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate
and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to
full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at The International Journal of
http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode Logistics Management
Vol. 34 No. 7, 2023
This research is part of a broader Italian funded PNRR Research project “Centro Nazionale per la pp. 199-234
Mobilita Sostenibile” (CN MOST) – Spoke 10 “Sustainable Logistics”. The authors would like to thank Emerald Publishing Limited
0957-4093
all partners and companies that have actively contributing to make this research possible. DOI 10.1108/IJLM-02-2022-0086
IJLM optimisation and improvement. Within the entire supply chain, warehouses have been
34,7 acknowledged as key components (Rai et al., 2011), accounting for about 20% of logistics
costs (Dhooma and Baker, 2012) and having a direct impact on the service level companies
can provide to customers (Liu et al., 2010). However, in the last decade also the environmental
sustainability of logistics facilities and warehousing operations has been called into question,
bringing further complexity and increased challenges to the logistics industry.
Multiple factors are behind this trend. On the one hand, more demanding regulatory
200 pressures and growing recommendations are coming from national governments, as well as
international organisations. This is strictly related to the growing concerns over the limitation
of resources, global warming and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. If we look at logistics and
transport activities, according to the World Economic Forum (2016), they account for 13% of
the overall GHG emissions worldwide, out of which 11% is related to logistics sites. Besides,
increasing pressures from a variety of stakeholders, such as investors, consumers, media and
the entire society, are making sustainability one of the key drivers in logistics decision-making
processes (Dobers et al., 2019; Perotti et al., 2022). This is also the case of logistics sites, whose
sustainability is strictly related to the efficiency of resources and materials employed. Whilst
the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) standard 14,083 released in March
2023 now provides managers with a globally aligned framework for quantifying GHG
emissions of transport and hub operations, companies so far have had to rely on various
standards aiming at certifying their environmental performance and had to struggle with a
rising range of measures to be embraced at their logistics facilities to improve their energy
efficiency (i.e. consumption reduction and related costs) and decrease related emissions.
As such, both logistics managers and technology providers have started looking for
innovative energy-efficiency measures and solutions towards environmental impact reduction
to be applied to their warehousing facilities to enhance not only the economic but also their
environmental performance (Wehner et al., 2020). Growing investments have recently
characterised the logistics real estate industry, with particular reference to green building
projects and installation of utilities – such as photovoltaic panels on the rooftop – that could
reduce energy consumption whilst mitigating the environmental performance of the building
(Perotti et al., 2023). Moreover, digital technologies and energy-efficient systems have been
progressively widespread, such as LED lighting and light sensors, lithium-ion batteries for
material handling equipment and fast chargers (Rai et al., 2011; Rajput and Singh, 2020). Greener
operational practices, as well as packaging consumption monitoring and waste reduction, have
also increased and several related solutions have become common (Das et al., 2023).
From an academic perspective, the literature dealing with sustainability at logistics sites has
recently boosted (Ries et al., 2017; Agyabeng-Mensah et al., 2020). Indeed, the focus of logistics
scientific literature over the last decade has primarily been on analysing and mitigating the
impact of transport activities and related green strategies, leaving environmental sustainability
in warehousing largely overlooked (Tappia et al., 2015). However, a shift in this trend seems to
be emerging and sustainable warehousing is now starting to receive growing attention from
both researchers and practitioners. Still, the academic literature on this topic appears to be still
underdeveloped. Although papers that qualitatively describe green warehousing solutions
have started to appear, no clear view has been presented so far on how to behave to achieve
higher energy-efficiency and a lower environmental impact at logistics sites, nor the impacts
related to the individual measures available. Also, motivations and barriers of such solutions
haven’t deserved enough attention so far. However, as highlighted by Sukjit and
Vanichchinchai (2020), “adoption of green warehousing requires motivations. However,
motivations for green warehouse still receive little attention” (p. 539).
This paper aims to fill this gap. Based on a systematic literature review (SLR) approach
(Tranfield et al., 2003), it offers a framework of energy-efficiency measures and solutions
towards environmental impact reduction that can be implemented to improve environmental
sustainability at logistics sites. The environmental and economic impacts of such measures Greening
are specifically investigated, as well as the main motivations and barriers that could influence warehouses: a
their adoption. The study is also intended to pinpoint the major research gaps, thus paving
the way for future directions of investigation in this field. According to the objectives of this
conceptual
paper, three research questions (RQs) have been introduced: framework
RQ1. What are the energy-efficiency measures and the solutions towards environmental
impact reduction that can be implemented at logistics sites? 201
RQ2. What are the economic and environmental impacts of such measures and
solutions?
RQ3. What are the main motivations and barriers that influence the companies’ adoption
of energy-efficiency measures and solutions towards environmental impact
reduction at their warehouses?
In order to address these questions and to present the discussion in a structured way, the
Systematic Literature Review methodology has been applied, since it has been identified as
an effective way to discuss gaps in the existing scientific literature (Tranfield et al., 2003) and
to synthesize the results of previous literature in a systematic, reproducible and transparent
way to support theory-building (Seuring et al., 2020; Snyder, 2019). The contribution offered
by this study can be viewed as theory-building. As discussed by Seuring et al.(2020) and
Kovacs and Spens (2005), this approach to literature review follows a deductive-abductive
approach and it will be applied in this study to allow a comprehensive analysis of green
warehousing and the development of a framework of green strategies and energy-efficiency
measures for improving the environmental sustainability at logistics sites, which is currently
lacking in the existing warehousing literature. According to Choi and Wacker (2011), theory-
building is a crucial aspect of research that facilitates the advancement of a field over time.
Additionally, theory-building approaches have been found to enhance our understanding of a
specific subject, aiding in redefining concepts that were previously not clearly or extensively
explained in the literature (Wacker, 2008). Our research not only improves the theoretical
understanding of green warehousing but also offers insights for professionals to improve the
environmental sustainability of logistics sites. Thus, our study significantly contributes to
the development of middle-range theory in the field of green warehousing. Middle-range
theory serves as a vital link between academic research and practical applications to explain
and comprehend phenomena within specific contexts (Swanson et al., 2020). In an emerging
field such as green warehousing, a rising number of contributions related to energy-efficiency
measures and solutions towards environmental impact reduction have appeared (Agyabeng-
Mensah et al., 2020), but they are scattered. Therefore, it is particularly important to provide a
comprehensive literature review to explore concepts and the relationships amongst them, to
identify the key elements that facilitate a transition towards enhanced environmental
sustainability at logistics sites from both a theoretical and practical perspective.
The remainder of the paper is structured as follows. The literature background is presented
in Section 2. Section 3 illustrates the methodology adopted, whilst Section 4 provides
descriptive information about the papers examined during the SLR phase. A critical discussion
of the proposed framework is then offered and the main research gaps are highlighted. Finally,
the main conclusions are pointed out and future research directions are outlined.
2. Literature background
Green warehousing has been defined as “a managerial concept integrating and implementing
environmentally friendly operations with the objective of minimizing energy consumption,
energy cost and GHG emissions of warehouses” (Bartolini et al., 2019, p. 243). Specifically, GHG
IJLM emissions and energy efficiency – which in turn involves consumption and related cost
34,7 reduction – are seen as key elements when approaching the challenge of improving the
environmental performance at a logistics facility (Dobers et al., 2022). Other broader definitions
of sustainable warehousing have also been proposed, thus incorporating also the social
perspective accordingly with the triple-bottom line (TBL) approach (Elkington, 2013). As an
example, sustainable warehousing has been defined as an approach to maximising the
efficiency and effectiveness of warehouse operations in such a way that the firm’s economic
202 objectives can be reached, without a negative impact on the surrounding environment and
society (Malinowska et al., 2018; Ali and Phan, 2022). Similarly, according to Tan et al. (2009)
and Ishizaka et al. (2022), sustainable warehousing is about integrating, balancing and
managing the economic, environmental and social inputs and outputs of the warehouse
operations.
Focusing on the environmental side of sustainability, contributions have recently begun
to emerge on the topic of green warehousing, on either the assessment of warehouse-related
energy consumption and emissions (Ries et al., 2017) or on the motivations and barriers
influencing the adoption of green warehousing practices (Wahab et al., 2018). The academic
community has also started to perceive the need for structuring extant knowledge and setting
clear directions for future works. Accordingly, a first literature review addressing this topic
has been found (Bartolini et al., 2019).
The authors provide a review and bibliometric analysis of the state of knowledge
regarding green warehouse management, the environmental impact of warehouse
buildings, sustainability indicators, environmental certification guidelines and energy-
saving issues in warehousing. Although that review could be viewed as a valuable seminal
work, no comprehensive framework was offered for categorising the strategies and
energy-efficiency measures for reducing the environmental impact of warehouses, nor the
related impacts, benefits and barriers. They offered a broad discussion on three macro-
themes, namely green warehouse management, environmental impact of warehouse
building and energy saving in warehousing. However, no detailed overview was offered on
the plethora of practices and green strategies that can be implemented to improve
environmental sustainability at logistics sites. Specifically, we highlighted a lack of a
comprehensive classification of the energy-efficiency measures that can be practically
leveraged by logistics managers to support their decision-making process when it comes
to greening their logistics facilities. This opens promising streams for further
conceptualisation, as the industry is currently looking for guidance on how to transition
towards net-zero warehouses and related operations, what roadmap to embrace and which
energy-efficient measures to define (Perotti et al., 2023). It should also be noted that, the
interesting review by Bartolini et al. (2019) does not include some relevant literature
published from 2020 onwards and this prevents the study from capturing the recent
evolution of the topic. Finally, it should also be acknowledged that some researchers have
also begun to address specific aspects of green warehousing. As an example, F€ uchtenhans
et al. (2021) proposed a systematic literature review to analyse the state-of-knowledge of
technologies and applications for smart lighting systems. Different technical systems
were discussed (e.g. ranging from LED lighting to light sensors) together with their
application areas, including but not restricted to warehousing. Nevertheless, that review
focused on a specific subset of energy-efficiency measures referred to the lighting domain,
without offering a holistic representation of warehousing environments. As a result,
opportunities for new research efforts in this direction are still open and the need for an
updated conceptual contribution based on a thorough academic literature review clearly
emerges. As mentioned, the contribution offered by this study can be viewed as theory-
building. Following the inductive approach discussed by Seuring et al. (2020), we
contribute to theory-building by synthesizing and organising existing contributions to
generate new insights and understanding about green warehousing. This is particularly Greening
important in emerging fields or areas of study where there is a lack of established theory, warehouses: a
as it happens in the case of green warehousing. As explained in the methodology section,
the inductive approach followed for this literature review starts with a broad overview of
conceptual
the literature to identify patterns and emerging themes. By synthesizing and organising framework
existing contributions based on these patterns and themes, our literature review proposes
a comprehensive framework of green strategies and energy-efficiency measures for green
logistics, along with key elements (i.e. motivations, barriers, performance assessment and 203
monitoring and impact) that can support the understanding of this topic and contribute to
the advancement of knowledge and practice for improving the environmental
sustainability at logistics sites.
3. Methodology
The framework was developed starting from the results of a Systematic Literature Review
(SLR). Literature reviews aim at synthesizing research results, capturing trends in the scientific
literature and detecting promising research directions for future investigation. Amongst the
different methodologies, the SLR has been recognised as appropriate to achieve the objective of
this study, because it is the most effective method to logically explore the state-of-the-art and
advance the existing scientific knowledge around a topic (Tranfield et al., 2003). SLR can be
defined as a process of “a systematic, explicit, and reproducible design for identifying,
evaluating, and interpreting the existing body of completed and recorded work produced
by researchers, scholars and practitioners” (Fink, 2019, p. 6). It is, therefore, a valuable
methodology for developing propositions and discussing future research implications (Carter
and Rogers, 2008). Furthermore, this methodology has been increasingly recommended to
identify, collect and classify related studies in a more structured, nuanced and reproducible way
(Rhoades, 2011). All these elements acquire even more importance with reference to warehouse
environmental sustainability, as it is a fairly new branch of research and the need for
summarising the available studies and promoting replicable knowledge is fundamental to
facilitate further investigation in this arena. As highlighted by Lagorio et al. (2016), the SLR
method has already been widely used to consolidate emerging topics in other areas in the field
of sustainability and supply chain management.
To reduce bias during research and ensure replicability, this study followed the guidelines
set out by Denyer and Tranfield (2009). The SLR has been carried out following a five-step
methodology, as illustrated in Figure 1, by adapting the steps proposed by Denyer and
Tranfield (2009). These phases are described in detail in the following sub-sections.
3.1 Scope of the analysis

In this paper, “green warehousing” is studied. The increasing attention from media,
governments and customers to green and sustainable paradigms pushes companies to invest
in energy-efficient solutions to improve their green performance and customer satisfaction
whilst reducing their operating costs. Warehouses have often been neglected in the past, but
nowadays, managers have become more aware of the importance of this critical area. Hence
green-related projects have been intensified. In line with the research questions presented in
the Introduction, it is essential to understand the strategies and energy-efficiency measures
that can be used by company managers to enhance the environmental performance of their
warehouses and related characteristics, benefits and hurdles. Since the budget dedicated to
the green warehousing project is often limited, it is important to design the most suitable
combination of strategies and energy-efficiency measures to achieve the highest performance
whilst balancing the constraints.
IJLM Phase 1 – Scope of t he analysis
34,7
Phase 2 – Locat ing papers
204 Keyw ord s form u lat ion an d

search
Cross-referen cin g
Recom m en d at ion s from
exp ert s
Phase 3 – Paper select ion and evaluat ion
Screen in g Elig ib ilit y Fin al in clu sion
Phase 4 – Analysis and synt hesis
D escrip t ive an alysis M et h od olog y ad op t ed RQs ad d ressed
Phase 5 – Report ing and using t he result s
D iscu ssion an d im p licat ion s

Figure 1. Provid in g areas for fu t u re w ork
SLR method
Source(s): Adapted from Denyer and Tranfield, (2009)
3.2 Locating papers

At this stage, the purpose was to search through relevant papers to create a comprehensive
list of core contributions pertinent to the review questions (Denyer and Tranfield, 2009). The
Scopus database was chosen to identify research papers, as it has some of the largest and
most reliable business research repositories (Crossan and Apaydin, 2010) and it is often used
in SLRs (Seuring et al., 2020). A set of keywords have been defined and used in the search
engine.
The set of keywords, summarised in Table 1, was generated relying on readings of past
literature and the authors’ experience in the field of logistics. In order to identify articles
related to energy-efficiency measures and solutions towards environmental impact reduction
adopted in green warehousing, the keywords have been grouped into three clusters,
combining warehousing, environmental sustainability and decision-making perspectives.
This stage led to 1,390 results. Whilst the search string of keywords may appear too broad
and result in irrelevant findings, we deliberately chose to maintain a broad scope. In the
literature on green warehousing, articles often refer to various related fields (such as energy),
but valuable insights can still be gleaned. To reduce the risk of missing relevant articles, we
decided to employ a broad search string of keywords and then carry out a thorough process
of paper selection and evaluation, as explained in the following subsection.
Screening phase Eligibility phase
Greening
Publication warehouses: a
Keywords Language type Inclusion criteria Exclusion criteria conceptual
TITLE-ABS-KEY English Journal papers Energy efficiency Energy efficiency and framework
((“warehous*” OR and conference and environmental environmental
“logistic* site” OR proceedings sustainability in sustainability in general
“logistic* facility” OR warehouses or at supply chain level 205
“logistic* hub” OR or logistics level or
“logistic* building”) AND applied in other types of
(“environment*” OR buildings
“sustainab*” OR “energy Sustainability Sustainability in general
efficien*” OR “GHG” OR includes energy
“CO2” OR “decarbon*” efficiency or
OR “green”) AND (“light*” environmental
OR “HVAC” OR “forklift” sustainability
OR “waste” OR Non-commercial Commercial and non-
“rainwater” OR “sensor” buildings include commercial buildings in
OR “roof” OR “glass” OR warehouses general
“wall” OR “pallet” OR Dated but milestone Dated and obsolete
“material handling” OR documents documents
“automat*” OR “wind” OR
“solar” OR “building”)
AND (“solution” OR
“practice” OR “adopt*”
OR “implement*” OR
“barrier” OR “motivation”
OR “driver” OR Table 1.
“obstacle”)) Keywords and criteria
Source(s): Authors’ own work used for paper selection
3.3 Paper selection and evaluation

This phase aimed to ensure a thorough selection of the papers as the basis of the subsequent
critical analysis. Three stages have been considered, namely screening, eligibility based on
inclusion and exclusion criteria and final inclusion based on a careful reading of each
document.
In the screening phase, two criteria were considered. First, papers had to be written in
English, as it is the main adopted and formally approved international language for
publications in the supply chain management and logistics fields (Colicchia et al., 2019).
Second, to ensure high quality works had to be published in peer-reviewed international
journals or conference proceedings indexed in Scopus. For these reasons, contributions from
grey literature such as technical reports and secondary sources were excluded. After the
screening phase, 1,060 potential papers remained in the list. During the eligibility phase, a set
of inclusion and exclusion criteria, related to the content of the papers has been identified
(Table 1) to select only relevant publications:
(1) The included papers had to be focused on energy-efficiency measures and solutions
towards environmental impact reduction adopted in warehouses. The papers
investigating these topics from a different perspective (for example, adopting a supply
chain perspective), or that are related to other types of buildings, have been excluded.
(2) From a sustainability perspective, the papers had to address the theme of
environmental sustainability and energy efficiency.
IJLM (3) Older papers were included only if considered as milestones and in case the measures
34,7 discussed were not obsolete.
Such criteria have been checked through a careful examination of the abstracts and, in case of
ambiguity, the decision has been taken after an examination of the full text. To avoid any
kind of subjectivity or bias, this step was executed by two researchers independently. The
result was a total database of 54 academic papers published either in peer-reviewed journals
206 or conference proceedings. Finally, as suggested by Marchet et al. (2014) and remarked by
Hohenstein et al. (2015), we also went back to other papers by cross-referencing in order to
include potential papers that were not picked in the above-mentioned databases. This results
in a final sample of 60 papers.
4. Descriptive analysis
Each selected publication has been classified according to:
(1) General characteristics: author(s), year of publication, source title and first author’s
affiliation.
(2) Methodology adopted: as per Seuring and M€ uller (2008), five research methodology
have been distinguished, namely “Conceptual framework”, “Analytical model”, “Case
study”, “Literature review” and “Survey”.
(3) Themes addressed: in performing the paper evaluation and analysis, we aimed at
rationalising and systematising the existing contributions on the topic under
investigation. The papers were classified through thematic analysis (Vaismoradi et al.
(2013), according to a deductive-abductive approach (Seuring and M€ uller, 2008). The
first step was to carefully read the papers. Consistently with the review questions,
and according to a deductive approach, we particularly focused on the thematic
categories defined in the previous pages, i.e. energy-efficiency measures and solutions
towards environmental impact reduction for green warehousing, their economic and
environmental impacts, the main motivations and barriers that influence their
adoption. The specific elements for each of these categories were identified according
to an abductive approach. For this qualitative data analysis, we followed the steps
proposed by Gioia et al. (2013). Initially, we conducted the primary data coding,
emphasising the key elements presented in the papers. During this phase, our aim
was to faithfully adhere to the terminology used in the selected papers. As the
evaluation process progressed, we looked for commonalities and patterns amongst
the terms employed in the papers. These findings served as the foundation for
organising the terms into categories and constructing a “data structure,” which forms
the final framework for our study. Both authors actively participated in this process,
engaging in discussions to address any discrepancies or differences in opinions. We
iteratively analysed and interpreted the papers until reaching a consensus. In
instances where there was disagreement in data coding, we revisited the data,
engaged in mutual discussions and developed shared understandings to arrive at
consensual interpretations. This research process employed abductive reasoning
because we were not completely unaware of previous work whilst analysing papers;
instead we had preconceived notions and theoretical knowledge about the field under
investigation. In line with this approach, we intentionally chose to be ignorant of
previous theories in the field of interest, rather than simply lacking awareness, to find
the right balance between our existing knowledge and areas where we lacked
knowledge (Gioia et al., 2013). This balance was crucial in facilitating discovery
without unnecessarily reinventing established concepts (Kovacs and Spens, 2005).
Table 2 summarises the content and features of each paper. According to Melacini et al. (2018) Greening
the papers are listed in chronological order to show the evolution of the topic over time. warehouses: a
The examined papers were published between 2008 and 2022 in 41 different international
journals and 11 conference proceedings. The main focus is on industrial management or
conceptual
energy area. It is interesting to remark that very few journals are supply chain management- framework
or logistics-based. Instead, many contributions have been found in energy-related journals, as
well as conference proceedings, thus indicating that green warehousing is still an emerging
topic that sector-specific journals have not adequately addressed. 207
Looking the distribution of the examined paper over time, a mounting interest in the topic
of green warehousing has been detected, with 27 papers published from 2019 onwards (i.e.
45% of the examined sample). This further corroborates the need for systematising and
conceptualising the available knowledge to guide future studies in the field.
As far as the first author’s affiliations, 34 papers refer to European countries – e.g. Italy
(12), Germany (4), UK (4), Turkey (4) – that overall constitute more than half of the sample
(57%). Asia accounts for 18 contributions – being China (4) and Malaysia (3) with the highest
number of contributions – and USA for 4. Regarding the method (Figure 2), the selected
papers are based on empirical studies – either case studies/interviews (21) or surveys (7) – but
also analytical models (20), conceptual contributions (5) and literature review (5) are quite
common. Looking at the evolution of the topic over time, as per Melacini et al. (2018),
strategies and energy-efficiency measures to improve warehouse environmental
sustainability (RQ1) and related economic and environmental impacts (RQ2) have been
found since 2008 and mostly from 2011 onwards. If earlier papers tend to be conceptual in
nature or provide some initial case studies on green warehousing measures and related
impact computation, recent contributions, i.e. from 2020 onwards, seem to have evolved to
include a greater emphasis on practical solutions for reducing energy consumption (e.g. smart
energy charging, material handling energy consumption optimisation). Motivations and
barriers influencing companies’ adoption (RQ3) seem to be a more recent area of investigation
and contributions addressing these issues have been found mostly after 2015. It is interesting
to note that early papers were conceptual in nature, whereas after 2019, all the examined
papers are either case study/interview- or survey-based, with one analytical model being
found. This highlights the rising interest in empirical research on the topic.
5. Results and framework development

A critical analysis of the selected papers is hereinafter presented by structuring the findings
according to the three RQs previously defined.
RQ1. What are the strategies and energy-efficiency measures to improve warehouse
environmental sustainability?
Table 3 reports 23 warehouse energy-efficiency measures that have been identified and
classified into six green strategies: Green Building, Utilities, Lighting, Material Handling and
Automation, Materials and Operational Practices. The majority of studies focused on Green
Building, Utilities and Lighting, with particular attention to energy-efficiency measures such
as photovoltaic panels, thermal insulation, use of natural lighting and white walls, packaging
reuse and recycling. It should be noted that other promising technologies that have started
receiving growing attention from the industry, such as high-frequency battery charging and
sensors for consumption reduction – within Material Handling strategies – or solar tubes –
within Lighting – have not been found in the examined sample.
5.1 Green building

Rai et al. (2011) highlighted that warehouse building is one factor that mostly contributes to
the consumption of energy and natural resources. A number of key energy-efficiency
34,7
208
IJLM
the SLR
Table 2.
Papers included in
First Research question
Author’s addressed
No. Author Year affiliation Title Source Methodology RQ1 RQ2 RQ3
1 Ciliberti et al 2008 Italy Logistics social responsibility: International Journal of Literature x

Standard adoption and practices in Production Economics review
Italian companies
2 Tan et al 2009 New Zealand Sustainable warehouse Proceedings of the International Conceptual x
management Workshop on Enterprise and framework
Organizational Modelling and
Simulation (EOMAS)
3 Sellitto et al 2011 Brazil Environmental performance Chemical Engineering Survey x
assessment in transportation and Transactions
warehousing operations by means
of categorical indicators and
multicriteria preference
4 Rai et al 2011 Netherlands Assessment of CO2 emissions Energy Case study/ x x
reduction in a distribution interviews
warehouse
5 Cook et al 2011 Australia Towards low-energy retail Architectural Science Review Case study/ x x
warehouse building interviews
6 Karia et al 2013 Malaysia Green innovations in the logistics Proceedings of the 20th Conceptual x
industry: Sustainability and International Business framework
competitive advantage Information Management
Association Conference (IBIMA)
7 Sailor and 2013 USA Energy performance of sustainable Proceedings of the Heat Transfer Case study/ x x
Vuppuluri roofing systems Summer Conference (ASME) interviews
8 Mostafaeipour 2014 Iran Economic evaluation for cooling Renewable and Sustainable Energy Case study/ x x
et al and ventilation of medicine storage Reviews interviews
warehouses utilizing wind catchers
9 Lerher et al 2014 Slovenia Energy efficiency model for the International Journal of Advanced Analytical x x
mini-load automated storage and Manufacturing Technology model
retrieval systems
(continued )
10 Martin et al 2014 Austria Hydrogen-powered fuel cell Proceedings of the World Electric Case study/ x x
forklifts–Demonstration of green Vehicle Symposium and Exhibition interviews
warehouse logistics
11 Tappia et al 2015 Italy Incorporating the environmental Production Planning and Control Analytical x x
dimension in the assessment of model
automated warehouses
12 Oswiecinska et al 2015 UK Towards energy-efficient operation Journal of Physics: Conference Analytical x x
of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Series model
Conditioning systems via advanced
supervisory control design
13 Fichtinger et al 2015 Austria Assessing the environmental International Journal of Analytical x x
impact of integrated inventory and Production Economics model
warehouse management
14 Meneghetti and 2015 Italy Greening the food supply chain: An International Journal of Analytical x
Monti optimisation model for sustainable Production Research model
design of refrigerated automated
warehouses
15 Meneghetti et al 2015 Italy Decision support optimisation International Journal of Shipping Analytical x
models for design of sustainable and Transport Logistics model
automated warehouses
16 Boenzi et al 2016 Italy Greening activities in warehouses: Annals of DAAAM and Analytical x x
A model for identifying sustainable Proceedings of the International model
strategies in material handling DAAAM Symposium
17 Facchini et al 2016 Italy Minimizing the carbon footprint of Journal of Industrial Engineering Analytical x
material handling equipment: and Management model
Comparison of electric and LPG
forklifts
(continued )
framework
conceptual
Greening
209
warehouses: a
Table 2.
34,7
210
IJLM
Table 2.
18 R€
udiger et al 2016 Germany Managing Greenhouse Gas Transportation Research Procedia Analytical x
Emissions from Warehousing and model
Transhipment with Environmental
Performance Indicators
19 Ene et al 2016 Turkey A genetic algorithm for minimizing Energy Analytical x x
energy consumption in warehouses model
20 Salhieh and 2016 Jordan Assessing the driving forces for South African Journal of Business Survey x x
Abushaikha greening business practices: Management
Empirical evidence from the United
Arab Emirates’ logistics service
industry
21 Alshaebi et al 2017 USA Evaluation of different forklift Proceedings of the 67th Annual Case study/ x x
battery systems using statistical Conference and Expo of the interviews
analysis and discrete event Institute of Industrial Engineers
simulation
22 Roozbeh N. et al 2017 Iran Dual command cycle dynamic Computers and Industrial Analytical x
sequencing method to consider Engineering model
GHG efficiency in unit-load
multiple-rack automated storage
and retrieval systems
23 Pratt et al 2017 USA Warehouse transformation ASHRAE Journal Case study/ x
interviews
24 Ries et al 2017 UK Environmental impact of International Journal of Conceptual x
warehousing: a scenario analysis Production Research framework
for the United States
25 Saikovski et al 2017 Estonia Problems in the operating and Proceedings of the 58th Annual Case study/ x x
calculation of payback of International Scientific Conference interviews
photovoltaic systems in buildings on Power and Electrical
Engineering
(continued )
26 Kaur et al 2018 India A systematic literature review on International Journal of Logistics Literature x
barriers in green supply chain Systems and Management review
management
27 Meneghetti et al 2018 Italy Fostering renewables into the cold Energies Case study/ x x
chain: How photovoltaics affect the interviews
design and performance of
refrigerated automated warehouses
28 Foster et al 2018 UK Financial viability of liquid air Refrigeration Science and Case study/ x x
energy storage applied to cold Technology interviews
storage warehouses
29 Seifhashem et al 2018 UK The potential for cool roofs to Energy and Buildings Case study/ x x
improve the energy efficiency of interviews
single-story warehouse-type retail
buildings in Australia: A simulation
case study
30 Perdahci et al 2018 Turkey A comparative study of fluorescent IOP Conference Series: Earth and Case study/ x x
and LED lighting in industrial Environmental Science interviews
facilities
31 Burinskiene et al 2018 Lithuania A simulation study for the International Journal of Analytical x x
sustainability and reduction of Simulation Modelling model
waste in warehouse logistics
32 Wahab et al 2018 Malaysia Antecedents of green warehousing: International Journal of Supply Conceptual x
A theoretical framework and future Chain Management framework
direction
33 You et al 2018 China System design and energy Energies Case study/ x x
management for a fuel cell/battery interviews
hybrid forklift
(continued )
framework
conceptual
Greening
211
warehouses: a
Table 2.
34,7
212
IJLM
Table 2.
34 Pamungkas et al 2019 Indonesia Impacts of Solar PV, Battery Proceedings of the Conference on Case study/ x x
Storage and HVAC Set Point the Industrial and Commercial Use interviews
Adjustments on Energy Savings of Energy (ICUE)
and Peak Demand Reduction
Potentials in Buildings
35 Bartolini et al 2019 Italy Green warehousing: Systematic Journal of Cleaner Production Literature x
literature review and bibliometric review
analysis
36 Goh et al 2019 Singapore Barriers to low-carbon International Journal of Physical Case study x
warehousing and the link to carbon Distribution and Logistics
abatement: A case from emerging Management
Asia
37 Ozturk et al 2019 Turkey Life-Cycle Cost, Cooling Degree Journal of Environmental Case study/ x x
Day, and Carbon Dioxide Emission Engineering interviews
Assessments of Insulation of
Refrigerated Warehouses Industry
in Turkey
38 Xin et al 2019 Malaysia A Study on the Factors Influencing Proceedings of the International Survey x
Green Warehouse Practice Conference on Building Energy
Conservation, Thermal Safety and
Environmental Pollution Control
(ICBTE)
39 Carli et al 2020a Italy A control strategy for smart energy Procedia Manufacturing Analytical x x
charging of warehouse material model
handling equipment
40 Ali et al 2020 Pakistan Integration of green supply chain Management of Environmental Survey x
management practices in the Quality: An International Journal
construction supply chain of CPEC
(continued )
41 Li et al 2020 China Quantitative analysis of passive Applied Energy Case study/ x x

seasonal cold storage with a two- interviews
phase closed thermosyphon
42 Sarabia Escriva 2020 Spain Comparison of annual cooling Thermal Science and Engineering Case study/ x x
et al energy demand between Progress interviews
conventional and inflatable dock
door shelters for refrigerated and
frozen food warehouses
43 Minashkina and 2020 Finland Decarbonizing warehousing Proceedings of the 7th Case study/ x x x
Happonen activities through digitalization and International Conference on interviews
automatization with WMS Environment Pollution and
integration for sustainability Prevention (ICEPP)
supporting operations
44 Sukjit and 2020 Thailand An Assessment of Motivations on Proceedings of the 7th Survey x
Vanichchinchai Green Warehousing in Thailand International Conference on
Industrial Engineering and
Applications (ICIEA)
45 Carli et al 2020b Italy Sustainable scheduling of material Sustainability Analytical x
handling activities in labour- model
intensive warehouses: A decision
and control model
46 Lapisa et al 2020 Indonesia Effect of skylight–roof ratio on Asian Journal of Civil Engineering Analytical x x
warehouse building energy balance model
and thermal–visual comfort in the
hot-humid climate area
(continued )
framework
conceptual
Greening
213
warehouses: a
Table 2.
34,7
214
IJLM
Table 2.
47 Agyabeng- 2020 China Green warehousing, logistics International Journal of Logistics Survey x
Mensah et al optimization, social values and Management
ethics and economic performance:
the role of supply chain
sustainability
48 Molleti et al 2021 Canada Smart energy harvesting Intelligent Buildings International Case study/ x
performance of photovoltaic roof interviews
assemblies in the Canadian climate
49 Gruchmann et al 2021 Germany Tensions in sustainable Journal of Business Economics Survey x
warehousing: including the blue-
collar perspective on automation
and ergonomic workplace design
50 F€
uchtenhans et al 2021a Germany Using smart lighting systems to International Journal of Logistics Literature x x
reduce energy costs in warehouses: Research and Applications review
A simulation study
51 Nantee and 2021 Thailand The impact of Logistics 4.0 on Benchmarking: An International Case study/ x
Sureeyatanapas corporate sustainability: a Journal interviews
performance assessment of
automated warehouse operations
52 F€
uchtenhans et al 2021b Germany Smart lighting systems: state-of- International Journal of Literature x x
the-art and potential applications in Production Research review
warehouse order picking
53 Modica et al 2021 Italy Green Warehousing: Exploration of Sustainability Analytical x x x
Organisational Variables Fostering model
the Adoption of Energy-Efficient
Material Handling Equipment
(continued )
54 Ishizaka et al 2022 France Sustainable warehouse evaluation Journal of the Operational Conceptual x x
with AHPS or traffic light Research Society framework
visualisation and post-optimal
analysis method
55 Stankovic et al 2022 Croatia Saving energy by optimizing Energies Analytical x
warehouse dock door allocation model
56 Yang et al 2023 China Bi-objective operation optimization Engineering optimization Analytical x
in multi-shuttle automated storage model
and retrieval systems to reduce
travel time and energy
consumption
57 Lee et al 2022 USA An electric forklift routing problem Journal of Intelligent Analytical x
with battery charging and energy Manufacturing model
penalty constraints
58 Osorio et al 2022 Spain Industrial Buildings with Zero Sustainability Case study/ x
Energy Consumption: Cathedral interviews
Warehouse for Sherry Wines
59 Faveto et al 2022 Italy Efficient management of industrial The International Journal of Analytical x
electric vehicles by means of static Advanced Manufacturing model
and dynamic wireless power Technology
transfer systems
60 Kheoi et al 2022 Turkey Energy minimizing order picker European Journal of Operational Analytical x
forklift routing problem Research model
Source(s): Authors’ own work
framework
conceptual
Greening
215
warehouses: a
Table 2.
IJLM
34,7
216
Figure 2.
Distribution of the
examined papers over
time with respect to the
research methodology
adopted
measures have been identified in the examined literature to improve the environmental
performance of a logistics building. First, the design and construction of a facility with
materials and shapes allow for wise use of energy and minimise heat dispersion through
walls and roof thanks to proper thermal insulation (Rai et al., 2011; Mostafaeipour et al., 2014).
Great importance is given to the type of roof used – with solutions such as cool roofs and
green roofs – as it is the surface most subject to heat sources (Sailor and Vuppuluri, 2013).
Besides, the use of loading docks with insulated doors (Sarabia Escriva et al., 2020) can
minimise dispersions and energy losses, especially in logistics facilities handling chilled or
frozen goods.
Second, the exploitation of natural daylight and lighting controls reduces the use of
artificial lights and related electrical energy required (Cook and Sproul, 2011). Third, the joint
use of selective glazing minimises heat transfer, maximises daylight and decreases the
amount of energy needed for cooling (Cook and Sproul, 2011), thanks to the higher thermal
resistance of glazing materials and their ability to mitigate solar heat gains whilst allowing
diffuse daylight to penetrate.
Finally, a combination of passive design strategies can be helpful during the design and
construction phases to achieve controlled environmental conditions with zero energy
consumption. To obtain such conditions, the design of the constructive elements should be
functional to control factors such as air stratification, ventilation and thermal inertia of the
floor and walls (Navia-Osorio et al., 2022). Depending on the specific building requirements, a
fundamental element for successfully achieving high environmental performance seems to be
the integration and harmonisation of such solutions within a comprehensive plan to impact
the building’s overall energy demand from different perspectives. Hence, creativity in the
logistics building design is a key step in achieving sustainable buildings with less energy
consumption (Mostafaeipour et al., 2014).
5.2 Utilities
Reducing warehousing demand for electrical energy and fuels involves the adoption of
utilities that can help make the company’s business more economically and environmentally
Energy-efficiency (EE) measures and
Greening
solutions towards environmental warehouses: a
Green strategy impact (EI) reduction Main references conceptual
Green building Thermal insulation (EE, EI) Rai et al. (2011), Cook and Sproul (2011), Pratt framework
(2017), Ozturk et al. (2019), Agyabeng-
Mensah et al. (2020)
Loading docks with insulated doors Sarabia Escriva et al. (2020) 217
(EE, EI)
Cool roof (EE, EI) Sailor and Vuppuluri (2013), Seifhashem et al.
(2018)
Green roof (EI) Sailor and Vuppuluri (2013)
Selective glazing (EE, EI) Cook and Sproul (2011)
Passive design and construction Navia-Osorio et al. (2022)
strategies (EE, EI)
Wind catcher (EE) Mostafaeipour et al. (2014)
Utilities Photovoltaic panels for self-production Karia et al. (2013), Sailor and Vuppuluri
(EE, EI) (2013), Salhieh and Abushaikha (2016),
Saikovski (2017), Meneghetti et al. (2018),
Pamungkas et al. (2019), Molleti et al. (2021)
Intelligent HVAC systems (EE, EI) Ciliberti et al. (2008), Karia and Asaari (2013),
Oswiecinska et al. (2015), Pratt (2017)
Lighting LED lighting (EE) Cook and Sproul (2011), Pratt (2017),
Perdahci et al. (2018), Bartolini et al. (2019),
F€uchtenhans et al. (2021)
Natural lighting and white walls (EE) Rai et al. (2011), Cook and Sproul (2011), Karia
and Asaari (2013), Pratt (2017), Lapisa et al.
(2020)
Sensors for reducing lighting Cook and Sproul (2011), Salhieh and
consumption (EE) Abushaikha (2016), Pratt (2017),
F€uchtenhans et al. (2021)
Material Handling Lithium-ion battery forklifts (EE, EI) Alshaebi et al. (2017), Pamungkas et al. (2019)
and Automation Hydrogen-Powered Fuel Cell Forklifts Martin et al. (2013)
(EE, EI)
Fuel cell/battery hybrid forklift (EE, You et al. (2018)
EI)
Electric forklifts with wireless energy Faveto et al. (2022)
charging (EI)
Energy-efficient AS/RS (EE, EI) Meneghetti and Monti (2015), Tappia et al.
(2015), Meneghetti et al. (2015), Roozbeh Nia
et al. (2017), Nantee and Sureeyatanapas
(2021)
Materials Packaging reduction (EI) Karia and Asaari (2013), Ali et al. (2020),
Agyabeng-Mensah et al. (2020)
Packaging reuse and recycle (EI) Ciliberti et al. (2008), Karia and Asaari (2013),
Ali et al. (2020), Minashkina and Happonen
(2020), Agyabeng-Mensah et al. (2020)
Operational Travel distance optimization (EI) Boenzi et al. (2016), Fichtinger et al. (2015),
practices Ene et al. (2016), Burinskiene et al. (2018), Lee
et al. (2022), Yang et al. (2023) Table 3.
Optimal scheduling of material Carli et al. (2020a, b), Lee et al. (2022), Yang Framework of energy-
efficient measures and
handling activities and battery et al. (2023), Stankovic et al. (2022)
solutions towards
charging (EI) environmental impact
Note(s): Please note that each measure/solution is classified according to its main impact, i.e. as related to reduction for logistics
energy-efficiency improvement (EE) or environmental impact reduction (EI) facilities as emerged
Source(s): Authors’ own work from the SLR
IJLM sustainable. In the examined literature, four systems have explicitly been called into question,
34,7 namely photovoltaic panels for self-production (Meneghetti et al., 2018; Pamungkas et al.,
2019), intelligent heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems (Pratt, 2017),
liquid air energy storage (Foster et al., 2018) and thermosiphon-based seasonal cold storage
(Li et al., 2020). As heating, ventilation and air-cooling operations are amongst the most
energy-consuming in a warehouse (Bartolini et al., 2019), most of the aforementioned energy-
efficiency measures can be used to mitigate this impact. It should be noted that today these
218 solutions have become mature and able to overcome the barriers that prevented their
adoption in the past (Molleti and Armstrong, 2021). Besides, their efficiency is rapidly
increasing and can provide even more opportunities for greening warehouses. For instance,
today the surplus of liquid air or liquid hydrogen contained in liquid air energy storage
systems could be used to charge automobiles or ad hoc engine propulsion (Foster et al., 2018).
Another example is provided by smart HVAC systems, which are no more merely reactive,
but predictive and adaptive. Hence, they can reduce operating costs, CO2e emissions and
energy consumption in every moment and with a higher proficiency if compared to the
conventional ones (Oswiecinska et al., 2015).
5.3 Lighting
As lighting is considered one of the main drivers for energy consumption in warehouses (Ries
et al., 2017), managers often consider taking initiatives in this area first (Bartolini et al., 2019),
also because such initiatives are usually amongst the cheapest and most effortless when
compared to other methods to increase energy efficiency (Perdahci et al., 2018). Many
contributions have been found in the examined literature, and this subject appears to be quite
consolidated. The attention has been mainly paid to LED lighting and sensors for reducing
lighting consumption (F€ uchtenhans et al., 2021), together with the use of natural lighting and
white walls (Lapisa et al., 2020). Such solutions not only significantly concur to a steady
reduction in terms of energy consumption at the site, but also lead to a decrease in lighting-
related emissions.
5.4 Material handling and automation

Looking at forklifts, considerations on both fuels used and batteries have emerged in this
arena. Specifically, three main solutions have been discussed: Lithium-Ion Battery (LIB)
forklifts, hydrogen-powered fuel cell forklifts and fuel cell/battery hybrid forklifts. Although
lead acid batteries (LAB) are still the most common in material handling applications,
research indicates that lithium-ion technology could bring significant benefits, also in terms
of energy efficiency (Alshaebi et al., 2017) and related emissions generated. Besides, hydrogen
fuel cells have been acknowledged as a promising choice due to their cleanliness, safety,
sustainability and high efficiency (Martin et al., 2013). Finally, fuel cell/battery hybrid
forklifts are relatively new, and the aim is to achieve superior performances by combining the
best characteristics of hydrogen fuel cells and pure fuel cell. However, being still in its infancy
and requiring a dedicated energy management strategy to be configured ad hoc on the
forklift, further research is still encouraged in this field (You et al., 2018).
Another key element being discussed is related to electric vehicles and the trade-off
between battery autonomy and charging time. For instance, a possibility that has recently
been explored is the adoption of a contactless electrical energy transmission system based on
the magnetic coupling between coils installed under the ground level and a coil mounted
under the vehicle floor (Faveto et al., 2022). As far as Automated Storage and Retrieval
Systems (AS/RS) are concerned, the relationship between warehouse automation and its
environmental implications has started to be examined. Multiple interesting elements have
been investigated, such as the investigation of the trade-off between the environmental and
economic dimensions when selecting warehousing technologies (Tappia et al., 2015) or the Greening
energy usage related to crane movements considering different rack shapes (Meneghetti and warehouses: a
Monti, 2015). The energy-efficiency performance of different automated systems has been
considered, such as mini-load AS/RS (Lerher et al., 2014) or Autonomous Vehicle Storage and
conceptual
Retrieval System (AVS/RS) with totes as the handling unit (Tappia et al., 2015). At any rate, it framework
should be noted that operating conditions, working requirements and warehousing
environment are crucial elements to be carefully taken into account for successfully
selecting the most appropriate solution for material handling, since a specific technology can 219
be impossible to be adopted in some conditions, whilst favourable in others (You et al., 2018).
5.5 Materials
Packaging reduction and packaging reuse and recycling have been detected as the main
practices concerning materials management (Karia and Asaari, 2013). According to
Agyabeng-Mensah et al. (2020), green packaging involves the use of green materials,
cooperation with sellers to ensure standardisation, reduction of both material usage and
unpacking time, adoption of returnable packaging methods and promotion of recycling and
reuse programs. All these alternatives are viable and equally important since useless
packaging increases waste disposal, unnecessary production, transport costs and increases
pollution (Karia and Asaari, 2013). Viable solutions could involve reshaping the existing
packaging by eliminating unnecessary elements or avoiding materials that negatively
influence the environment, or present criticalities during their disposal.
5.6 Operational practices

Operational practices – i.e. supporting material handling, storage, picking processes and
other value-added services performed within the warehouse – can be viewed as a valuable
way to minimising energy consumption and related emissions. Since it is estimated that 55%
of the total energy for warehousing activities comes from order-picking activities (Boenzi
et al., 2016), many practices found are in this sense. The two main categories of measures
identified are travel distance optimisation (Burinskiene et al., 2018) and optimal scheduling of
material handling activities and battery charging (Carli et al., 2020a).
As for the first (i.e. travel distance optimisation), Ene et al. (2016) developed a genetic
algorithm designed to provide effective order batching and routing in warehouses
considering the minimisation of energy consumption. Burinskiene et al. (2018) proposed a
similar method, but using the Djikstra algorithm, whilst Boenzi et al. (2016) integrated into a
single non-linear integer programming model simulation both the engine type of the forklift
and the possible paths.
Regarding the second (i.e. optimal scheduling of material handling activities and battery
charging), various models have been found. Two of them (Carli et al., 2020a, b). Identified an
optimal schedule of material handling activities of a fleet of electric forklifts to minimise the
total electricity cost for charging their batteries, whilst ensuring that jobs are executed in
accordance with priority queuing and that the completion time of battery recharging is
minimised.
Another paper related to the optimisation of the forklifts schedule was the one proposed
by Stankovic et al. (2022). The authors studied a truck-to-gate assignment problem during
warehousing docking door operations, where the objective was to minimise energy
consumption. The problem was managed as a resource allocation problem and solved using a
linear programming model. A different approach, based on both the optimisation of the travel
distance and the battery charging time was adopted by Lee et al. (2022), who formulated a
dynamic control algorithm for the electric forklift routing problem with battery charging. In
this research, both the operational performance of the electric forklift (i.e. total travel distance
IJLM and idle time for battery replacement) and the energy performance (i.e. energy cost) were
34,7 considered. Finally, Yang et al. (2023) developed a multi-objective optimisation model aimed
at simultaneously minimising the travel time and the energy consumption of a multi-shuttle
AS/RS by finding an efficient storage/retrieval location assignment and scheduling solution
to perform the requests.
RQ2. What is their economic and environmental impact?
220 Table 4 summarises the main economic and environmental impacts related to the strategies
and energy-efficiency measures for improving warehouse environmental sustainability that
emerged from the SLR. Whilst the decrease in GHG emissions seems to emerge as the main
environmental benefit, economic implications have also been highlighted. These latter have
been split into four different types, related to: reduction of energy consumption (Sarabia
Escriva et al., 2020; Li et al., 2020; Lapisa et al., 2020), reduction of heating load (Rai et al., 2011;
Foster et al., 2018), reduction of electrical peak demand (Molleti and Armstrong, 2021) and
increase in profitability (Mostafaeipour et al., 2014). The quantification of such impacts needs
to be assessed with reference to a specific context, as they strictly depend not only on the
Perspective Type of impact (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) (F) Main references
Economic Reduction of x x x x x
Rai et al. (2011), Cook and Sproul
energy (2011), Sailor and Vuppuluri
consumption (2013), Mostafaeipour et al. (2014),
Oswiecinska et al. (2015), Boenzi
et al. (2016), Alshaebi et al. (2017),
Seifhashemi et al. (2018),
Burinskiene et al. (2018), Foster
et al. (2018), Perdhaci et al. (2018),
Pamungkas et al. (2019),
Agyabeng-Mensah et al. (2020),
Sarabia Escriva et al. (2020), Li
et al. (2020), Lapisa et al. (2020),
F€uchtenhans et al. (2021), Nantee
and Sureeyatanapas (2021)
Reduction of x x Rai et al. (2011), Cook and Sproul
heating load (2011), Mostafaeipour et al. (2014),
Foster et al. (2018), Sarabia Escriva
et al. (2020)
Reduction of x x x x Pratt (2017), Foster et al. (2018),
electrical peak Perdhaci et al. (2018), Molleti et al.
demand (2021), Carli et al. (2020a, b)
Increase in x Mostafaeipour et al. (2014),
profitability Agyabeng-Mensah et al. (2020),
Nantee and Sureeyatanapas (2021)
Environmental Decrease in GHG x x x x x Cook and Sproul (2011), Martin
emissions et al. (2013), Seifhashemi et al.
(2018), Foster et al. (2018),
Burinskiene et al. (2018),
Minashkina and Happonen (2020),
Table 4.
Economic and Li et al. (2020), Carli et al. (2020a, b),
environmental impacts Nantee and Sureeyatanapas (2021)
related to the green Note(s): Note that (A) Green Building, (B) Utilities, (C) Lighting, (D) Material Handling and Automation, (E)
strategies under Materials and (F) Operational Practices
analysis Source(s): Authors’ own work
features of the individual solution implemented but also on the warehouse characteristics (Rai Greening
et al., 2011). For instance, the impact deriving from the implementation of photovoltaic panels warehouses: a
can differ considerably according to numerous factors such as site location (e.g. daylight and
weather conditions) (Saikovski, 2017; Meneghetti et al., 2018; Pamungkas et al., 2019).
conceptual
Looking at Green Building, it was the only green strategy where all the above-mentioned framework
impacts were highlighted. In particular, thermal insulation in warehouses reduces energy
consumption (Agyabeng-Mensah et al., 2020) and increases profitability. This happens
because insulation improves the building’s thermal transmittance and decreases the heating 221
load considerably (Rai et al., 2011). A reduction in operational load is directly linked to lower
energy consumption and a lower carbon footprint (Cook and Sproul, 2011). Similarly, loading
docks with insulated doors are the cheapest and most effective way to solve the issue of air
leakage during loading/unloading activities, thus they reduce the heating load of the
warehouse, mitigate consumption and CO2 emissions (Sarabia Escriva et al., 2020). Cool roof,
green roof and wind catchers have been demonstrated to be useful in reducing the cool energy
demand, as well as the carbon emissions (Sailor and Vuppuluri, 2013; Mostafaeipour et al.,
2014; Seifhashem et al., 2018). Selective glazing can interfere with the incoming daylight with
different power, allowing its ingress in a room, but mitigating its heating (Cook and
Sproul, 2011).
As far as Utilities are concerned, they have been demonstrated as particularly useful in
addressing warehouse energy consumption and heating. For instance, this is the case of
intelligent HVAC systems that can reduce operating costs, CO2e emissions and energy
consumption (Oswiecinska et al., 2015). Looking at liquid air energy storage, it helps reduce
carbon footprint by decreasing and shifting energy peak loads.
Impacts related to Lighting strategies are chiefly focused on electric energy consumption
reduction by means of both exploiting natural daylight (Pratt, 2017; Lapisa et al., 2020) and
optimising artificial lighting (Cook and Sproul, 2011; Perdahci et al., 2018). Regarding the first
aspect (natural daylight), several authors agreed that a key element is the correct sizing of the
roof light ratio, as excess will bring thermal and temperature discomfort for workers (Rai
et al., 2011). As far as the second aspect (artificial lighting) is concerned, the efficiency of LED
lamps has been widely acknowledged (Perdahci et al., 2018), together with sensors for
reducing lighting consumption (Cook and Sproul, 2011; Pratt, 2017). Indeed, sensors may
allow to automatically turn on/off or dim the level of light according to the presence of
workers in a room or a section of the warehouse.
Impacts related to Material Handling and Automation mostly refer to forklifts in terms of
batteries or fuels, or else AS/RS. In the case of forklifts, papers usually compare different
technologies with the base case of conventional LAB. A significant reduction in energy
consumption and/or lower GHG emissions has been commonly highlighted (Martin et al.,
2013; Alshaebi et al., 2017). Amongst the technologies under study, LIB forklifts have been
attested as particularly promising due to multiple reasons. Indeed, LIB has the characteristic
of being charged whilst being in the truck, so no battery replacement processes are needed,
differently compared to LAB (Alshaebi et al., 2017). Second, the useable energy from LIB is
higher, hence higher productivity is reached. Finally, the heat generated by LIB is only half
compared to the one generated by a LAB. The reason comes from the internal resistance of
lithium-ion, which is lower than the LAB one (Alshaebi et al., 2017). Also, hydrogen-powered
fuel cell forklifts have been highlighted as promising. It has been proved that GHG emissions
are comparable to one of the battery-electric vehicles but with another potential further
reduction of 10% depending on the expected lifetime of the battery (Martin et al., 2013).
Looking at Materials, no specific contributions have been found discussing economic or
environmental benefits. However, it is undeniable that reducing or reusing packaging leads to
increased warehouse sustainability (Agyabeng-Mensah et al., 2020). The simple reduction of
paper is fundamental for a better environment (Minashkina and Happonen, 2020).
IJLM Finally, amongst Operational Strategies, innovative algorithms are emerging leading to
34,7 economic and environmental performance improvement. For example, according to Boenzi
et al. (2016), conventional travel distance optimisation practices can be further improved by
means of a joint evaluation of the features and power source of the forklifts being adopted,
together with other energetic aspects related to material handling activities (e.g. daily profile
and peaks or other organisational patterns). Besides economic savings, even NOx and CO2
produced can be calculated and minimised (Burinskiene et al., 2018). Another interesting
222 algorithm is the one developed by Carli et al. (2020b), intending to optimise the scheduling for
electric forklifts by minimising the total electricity cost for charging batteries, whilst ensuring
that jobs are executed following priority queuing and that the completion time of the battery
recharging is minimised. The economic advantage is obtained using the minimisation of the
electricity cost and can be further amplified by adopting on-line control systems for smart
energy consumption.
RQ3. What are the main motivations and barriers that influence the companies’ adoption
of green strategies and energy-efficiency measures in their warehouses?
Only a few examined contributions explicitly investigated the decision-making process
behind the adoption of green strategies and energy-efficiency measures for improving
warehouse environmental sustainability. For instance, some interesting surveys were found
targeting logistics managers to understand motivations and barriers in their specific
companies. However, these studies were geographically limited – such as the one by Salhieh
and Abushaikha (2016) that investigated the United Arab Emirates’ logistics service
industry, or the one by Goh (2019), focused on Asia, or else the one by Sukjit and
Vanichchinchai (2020) in Thailand – or limited to few specific companies (e.g. Xin et al., 2019;
Wahab et al., 2018).
Looking at motivating factors that can push a company to undertake green warehousing
processes, six main elements have been identified, namely pressure from government and
regulations, pressures from customers and suppliers, industry competition, top management
commitment and employee involvement.
In particular, as far as government pressure and regulations are concerned, new stricter
regulations may oblige companies to adapt to new greener scenarios (Salhieh and
Abushaikha, 2016; Kaur and Awasthi, 2018; Wahab et al., 2018; Goh, 2019; Minashkina
and Happonen, 2020; Sukjit and Vanichchinchai, 2020).
Second, customers’ awareness (customers’ pressure) and expectations about
sustainability are increasing at a rapid pace; hence companies are forced to adapt
(Salhieh and Abushaikha, 2016; Kaur and Awasthi, 2018; Wahab et al., 2018; Goh, 2019;
Minashkina and Happonen, 2020; Sukjit and Vanichchinchai, 2020). Besides, suppliers
with a high bargaining power may force their customers to adapt to new sustainable
processes that they have implemented in their company, asking them to replicate their
model (suppliers’ pressure). If the supplier is key and cannot be lost, companies usually
accept the new condition (Wahab et al., 2018). Industry competition is another motivating
factor, as key when healthy competition is present in a sector, firms can pursue to gain
competitive advantage through sustainability (Wahab et al., 2018; Kaur and Awasthi,
2018; Sukjit and Vanichchinchai, 2020).
Finally, top management commitment emerges as fundamental: positive attitudes, clear
visions, authoritative leaderships, precise strategic intents and profound commitment are
mandatory for top managerial personnel to implement green warehousing practices (Wahab
et al., 2018; Sukjit and Vanichchinchai, 2020). However, a strong commitment amongst
managers is not sufficient to effectively implement energy-efficient changes within
warehouses and employee involvement is also a key component. Indeed, if not adequately
involved, workers can represent the phenomenon of resistance (Wahab et al., 2018; Goh, 2019; Greening
Sukjit and Vanichchinchai, 2020; Gruchmann et al., 2021). warehouses: a
Focusing on the main barriers to the adoption, 9 different elements have emerged. They
include cost, complexity, communication, knowledge and capabilities, government pressure
conceptual
and regulations, pressures from suppliers and customers, technological hurdles and lack of a framework
strategic approach to sustainability or scarce internal commitment. A detailed discussion is
hereinafter provided for each factor identified:
223
(1) Costs: although several authors agree that embracing greener warehouse operations
helps protect the environment ethically and comply with the reduction of operational
costs in the long run (Salhieh and Abushaikha, 2016; Minashkina and Happonen,
2020), there is still a mental bias that brings logistics operators thinking that
environmental sustainability is just a source of additional costs rather than a
strategic opportunity for differentiating their businesses (Goh, 2019). According to
the survey by Kaur and Awasthi (2018), besides investment costs, managers are
scared by the potential costs of environmentally friendly packaging, hazardous waste
disposal and the expenses of switching to new systems.
(2) Complexity: the literature suggests that the introduction of sustainability initiatives
may add levels of complexity in organisations (Goh, 2019; Gruchmann et al., 2021).
Implementation can be challenging and sustainable practices need time and effort to
be diffused within a company and amongst all supply chain players that have to
adapt to sustainable standards or performance criteria.
(3) Communication: insufficient or missing communication is a typical barrier (Kaur and
Awasthi, 2018; Goh, 2019; Gruchmann et al., 2021). In this sense, meetings and
consultations amongst employees seem to be critical drivers for receiving feedback
and preventing whatever form of resistance (Seuring and M€ uller, 2008).
(4) Knowledge and capabilities: when insufficient knowledge about sustainability or
related fields is widespread amongst company managers, no green project can be
proposed (Kaur and Awasthi, 2018; Goh, 2019; Gruchmann et al., 2021). The way out
entails a robust programme of education, experience, or training, to eliminate any
possible form of negative prejudice (Goh, 2019).
(5) Government pressure and regulations: although this can also be a motivation to
increase energy efficiency and environmental sustainability projects in warehousing,
several authors agree that “governments through regulation can both encourage and
discourage the adoption of green practices” (Salhieh and Abushaikha, 2016, p. 60).
Indeed, the problem arises when there is no harmonised regulation on how to deal
with non-compliance with rules (Goh, 2019). Moreover, if regulations are uncertain,
companies are unwilling to take risks by adopting more sustainable practices (Goh,
2019).
(6) Suppliers’ pressures: the need for facing suppliers’ reluctance to collaborate in
warehouse sustainability programmes may discourage companies from
implementing their ideas (Minashkina and Happonen, 2020; Kaur and Awasthi,
2018). The problem is particularly relevant when the sustainable project requires
sharing confidential information or technology related to sustainable practices that
are a source of competitive advantage (Goh, 2019; Kaur and Awasthi, 2018).
(7) Customers’ pressures: as in the case of government pressures, also customers’
pressure on the adoption of green logistics practices is significant as a motivation
(Salhieh and Abushaikha, 2016). However, a lack of awareness or no clear
IJLM expectations might inhibit the adoption of energy-efficient solutions (Kaur and
34,7 Awasthi, 2018; Minashkina and Happonen, 2020 Goh, 2019; Sukjit and
Vanichchinchai, 2020).
(8) Technology: companies can lack access to innovative technologies to improve their
processes even if they are already available. This can make companies unable to start
their green projects (Kaur and Awasthi, 2018; Goh, 2019).
224 (9) Lack of a strategic approach to sustainability or scarce internal commitment:
sometimes companies find difficulties in transforming positive environmental
attitudes into actions simply because they have no concrete plan of action to rely on
(Kaur and Awasthi, 2018).
5.7 Framework development

Based on the outcome of the SLR, a framework is proposed (Figure 3) linking six main areas of
intervention towards green warehousing (“green strategies”) with the related impacts,
motivations and barriers that could influence their adoption. The above-mentioned green
strategies include a combination of:
(1) energy-efficiency measures, i.e. chiefly aiming at consumption reduction (as well as a
decrease of related costs and emissions generated);
(2) solutions that can be leveraged towards environmental impact reduction, i.e. mostly
oriented to cut emissions generated from the warehouse and related activities.
Some of those measures and solutions can meet both aims simultaneously.
On the left-hand side of the proposed framework, the complete list of factors that have
emerged from the literature review as potential motivations or barriers to adoption has been
provided. Interestingly, some of those could act as either a barrier or motivation, depending
on the specific case (e.g. Top management commitment). Each individual green strategy at
logistics sites is then connected to the economic and/or environmental impact that have
been highlighted in the examined literature. Finally, in order to properly quantify the
Figure 3.
Framework with six
main areas of
intervention (“green
strategies”) for
improving energy
efficiency and
environmental
sustainability at
logistics sites
impacts, the framework also emphasises the need for a system for performance measuring Greening
and monitoring. warehouses: a
conceptual
6. Discussion and research agenda framework
Although green warehousing has been traditionally under-examined compared to other
green supply chain management issues (Bartolini et al., 2019), to date, institutional and
social pressures have concurred to highlight the urgency of focusing on such a subject. 225
Being a fairly new branch of research – whilst being one of the major areas that could
reduce the environmental impact of business activities (Salhieh and Abushaikha, 2016) –
the related literature is still scarce although increasing and deserves adequate attention.
The objective of the paper is to build upon earlier seminal studies on the topic (Bartolini
et al., 2019) and further address three key areas of investigation in order to: (1) create a
clear and complete classification of the strategies and energy-efficiency measures that
logistics and warehouse managers can embrace to improve warehouse environmental
sustainability; (2) discuss the related main environmental impacts, as well as their
economic implications; and (3) analyse the main motivations and hurdles behind the
adoption of such practices.
This study has made significant contributions to theory-building in the field of green
warehousing through a deductive-abductive approach to the literature review, as
recommended by Seuring et al. (2020). Given the fragmented nature of research on
energy-efficiency measures and solutions towards environmental impact reduction in
green warehousing, a comprehensive literature review becomes essential for exploring
concepts, their relationships and identifying key elements that can facilitate a transition
towards improved environmental sustainability from both theoretical and practical
perspectives.
By conducting a comprehensive analysis of green warehousing, this study has
developed a framework of six main areas of intervention (“green strategies”) towards
environmental sustainability at logistics sites. Such a framework combines energy-
efficiency measures (i.e. focus on consumption – and related costs – reduction) and
solutions towards environmental impact reduction (i.e. focus on emission decrease). The
proposed framework can serve as a valuable resource for future research and decision-
making aimed at enhancing energy efficiency and environmental sustainability at logistics
sites. The proposed conceptual framework provides insights into areas of intervention,
individual measures, their impacts, motivations and critical factors, offering a solid
foundation for practitioners when making informed decisions regarding environmental
strategies and performance measurement in their warehouses, in alignment with the
findings of Silva et al. (2022).
Through this contribution, our study not only enhances the theoretical understanding of
green warehousing but also provides practical implications for practitioners in effectively
managing and improving the energy efficiency and environmental sustainability of logistics
sites. In this sense, our study makes a valuable contribution to middle-range theory-building
within the field of green warehousing. Middle-range theory, in fact, bridges the gap between
academia and practice, providing a conceptual foundation to explain and understand
phenomena within a well-defined context (Swanson et al., 2020).
In addition to offering a deeper understanding of the specific phenomenon under
investigation, our work also provides a basis for further theoretical development and future
research directions. The proposed framework has also revealed the gaps and limitations of
the revised literature, therefore highlighting streams for future investigation. In the
following, five main research recommendations (RRs) for future investigation are offered and
discussed.
IJLM RR1. Validate and, potentially, extend the proposed framework of green strategies and
34,7 energy-efficiency measures for improving warehouse environmental sustainability.
Building upon previous investigations in the arena of sustainable warehousing (e.g. Bartolini
et al., 2019), the present review offers a strong conceptualisation based on the available academic
literature on the topic and opens streams for future investigation. From this viewpoint, further
validation of the proposed framework also based on a practitioners’ perspective could be a
226 promising research direction. Indeed, besides the academic literature review, a thorough analysis
of secondary sources (e.g. company sustainability reports, data from solution providers), as well
as direct interviews with companies could be particularly beneficial to corroborate the proposed
classification and list of energy-efficiency measures, or else include potential elements that have
been neglected by academia so far. This recommendation seems specifically relevant also in light
of the progressive technology enhancement and the advent of new solutions that can be added to
the framework (Perotti et al., 2023). An updated and complete classification of green strategies
and energy-efficiency measures can represent useful support to logistics managers when making
decisions to improve the environmental impact of their logistics sites. As an example, recent
technologies such as mobile robots (Bogue, 2016; Varma et al., 2021) or warehousing 4.0 solutions
might be further investigated also with reference to their impact on warehouse energy efficiency
and, in a broader sense, on warehouse sustainability performance.
RR2. Foster empirical investigation on the adoption of green strategies and energy-
efficiency measures for improving warehouse environmental sustainability.
No papers were found that specifically address the level of adoption of such strategies.
Instead, most contributions were focused on one or a very limited spectrum of energy-
efficiency measures, without offering a holistic perspective. Promising future research
directions may involve the evolution of their adoption over time to build a benchmark, In line
with Perotti et al. (2023). To this extent, it could also be interesting to study the companies’
prospective interest in terms of future interventions on green warehousing processes.
RR3. Encourage the development of a shared set of indicators and methodologies to
compute the GHG emissions generated in warehouses and impacted by green
warehousing strategies.
Based on the examined sample, only a few studies provided methodologies for computing the
carbon footprint produced by logistics and warehousing activities (e.g. Perotti et al., 2023) and
no shared view was offered. Overall, there is a need for more reliable data to demonstrate how
sustainable actions can decrease the carbon footprint and improve warehouse energy
efficiency, as per Dobers et al. (2022). This could also encourage a higher awareness of these
issues and – potentially – higher future investments in the sector.
RR4. Develop analytical research to investigate logistics and supply chain-wide
practices, their enablers and the related environmental effects.
The study of green strategies and related energy-efficiency measures within logistics sites as
offered within the present paper needs to be further expanded to a supply chain level. This
should involve the examination of how changes in logistics network design might impact the
overall company’s (or supply chain) environmental performance. Indeed, the strategic
location of warehouses and the related allocation of resources to the various stages of a
supply chain are of paramount importance and bring along the threefold objective of cost
minimisation, service level improvement and CO2 emission reduction (Doolun et al., 2018).
Furthermore, the sharing economy for storage services (“warehouse capacity sharing”) is also
emerging as a new opportunity for improving the economic and environmental impact of
warehouses thanks to a better saturation of the warehouse and better assets utilisation
(Feng et al., 2017; Tornese et al., 2020). Further research is needed to explore how sharing Greening
warehouse concepts and principles can be leveraged to this aim. This new paradigm requires warehouses: a
a further investigation of the enabling technologies and specific platforms to enable
companies to match supply and demand of warehouse capacity and to acquire real-time
conceptual
information on the requirements of companies utilising the service to quickly and efficiently framework
meet them (Unnu and Pazour, 2019).
RR5. Promote further investigation on the relationship between the adoption of green 227
warehousing strategies and energy-efficiency measures for improving warehouse
environmental sustainability and the related social or organisational aspects.
Few studies have hinted at the positive relationship between employees’ productivity and the
adoption of energy-efficient solutions such as natural lighting, LED lighting and light sensors
(F€
uchtenhans et al., 2021), or green roof technologies. Still, much must be done for other
solutions to clarify their social/organisational implications for warehousing and guide changes
in current organisational patterns to improve warehouse sustainability by decreasing carbon
emissions and promoting energy efficiency, in line with Prataviera et al. (2022).
7. Conclusions and implications

This paper aims at offering a framework of strategies and energy-efficiency measures for
improving warehouse environmental sustainability based on an SLR approach (Denyer and
Tranfield, 2009) of 60 scientific publications dealing with this subject. Related economic and
environmental impacts have been carefully examined and the main motivations and barriers that
could influence the adoption of these green warehousing strategies have been discussed. Finally,
five major RRs have been identified for further investigation in this promising research arena.
Although interesting findings emerged from this study, limitations do exist. In particular,
the main limitation lies in the potential omission of relevant contributions from the review.
Although the keyword structure was trialed repeatedly during its design to achieve a highly
effective and feasible research space, we cannot exclude the possibility that other papers
dealing with this subject do exist, but under different labels. Nevertheless, precisely because of
the methodology adopted, we believe that this analysis provides an adequate representation of
the state-of-the-art of literature relating to energy-efficient solutions for warehouses.
This research aims to fill a gap in a field that is receiving growing interest and has the
necessity to organise the related knowledge more systematically. Results might constitute an
important theoretical contribution to the topic of environmental sustainability in the green
warehousing scientific literature. To the best of the Authors’ knowledge, this is the first
attempt at building a comprehensive framework specifically categorising green strategies
and energy-efficiency measures for improving environmental sustainability at logistics sites.
Researchers can use it as a starting point to focus on one or more strategies to investigate
their adoption level within a business context, analysing the related benefits and critical
issues associated with their implementation, or else quantitatively assessing the warehouse’s
environmental performance over time in terms of consumption figures – and related costs –
and associated GHG emissions, as per Dobers et al. (2022). This could also be extended by
means of addressing other energy-efficiency measures currently neglected by the literature.
A promising area for future investigation may involve the social side of sustainability
connected to the adoption of green strategies within logistics facilities, as well as its related
implication. Another promising area of research, with relevant potential for practical
applications, can be related to the development of models to assess alternatives of investment
in (sets of) energy-efficiency measures for green warehousing, evaluate the most cost-
effective option and identify the aspects that act as hurdles or drivers that determine the
convenience of an option. This particular development could represent a value for companies
IJLM that are considering making investments in this area but have no clear idea of the roadmap
34,7 that can be embraced to reach higher energy-efficiency and environmental performance at
their logistics sites, in line with Perotti et al. (2023).
Under the managerial aspect, this study constitutes valid support for warehouse
managers and logistics service providers (LSPs) who are about to approach the challenge of
turning their warehouses into greener nodes of their supply chains. Indeed, the proposed
framework can be seen as a reference by managers willing to invest in green warehousing
228 and are eager to understand the levers they should consider. Particularly, the identification of
the possible areas of intervention, along with the expected related impacts (economic and/or
environmental), can be a valuable starting point for the development of a strategic plan
regarding the roadmap to be embraced in terms of energy-efficiency measure implementation
at a logistics site. Moreover, although some specific features that influence the design and
functioning of warehouses are sector-specific (i.e. refrigerated versus ambient-temperature
warehouses), many commonalities would permit the application of this conceptual
framework to different contexts. Wise environmental management of logistics sites can
also help obtain building certifications (e.g. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED), Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology
(BREEAM), Haute Qualite Environnementale (HQE) and Deutsche Gesellschaft f€ ur
Nachhaltiges Bauen (DGNB)) that help achieve higher sustainable performances and
might increase corporate reputation.
References
Agyabeng-Mensah, Y., Ahenkorah, E., Afum, E., Dacosta, E. and Tian, Z. (2020), “Green warehousing,
logistics optimization, social values and ethics and economic performance: the role of supply
chain sustainability”, International Journal of Logistics Management, Vol. 31 No. 3, pp. 549-574,
doi: 10.1108/IJLM-10-2019-0275.
Ali, I. and Phan, H.M. (2022), “Industry 4.0 technologies and sustainable warehousing: a systematic
literature review and future research agenda”, The International Journal of Logistics
Management, Vol. 33 No. 2, pp. 644-662, doi: 10.1108/IJLM-05-2021-0277.
Ali, Y., Saad, T.B., Sabir, M., Muhammad, N., Salman, A. and Zeb, K. (2020), “Integration of green
supply chain management practices in construction supply chain of CPEC”, Management of
Environmental Quality: An International Journal, Vol. 31 No. 1, pp. 185-200, doi: 10.1108/MEQ-
12-2018-0211.
Alshaebi, A., Dauod, H., Weiss, J. and Yoon, S.W. (2017), “Evaluation of different forklift battery
systems using statistical analysis and discrete event simulation”, Proceedings of the 67th
Annual Conference and Expo of the Institute of Industrial Engineers, pp. 1637-1642.
Bartolini, M., Bottani, E. and Grosse, E.H. (2019), “Green warehousing: systematic literature review
and bibliometric analysis”, Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 226, pp. 242-258, doi: 10.1016/j.
jclepro.2019.04.055.
Boenzi, F., Digiesi, S., Facchini, F., Mossa, G. and Mummolo, G. (2016), “Greening activities in warehouses:
a model for identifying sustainable strategies in material handling”, Proceedings of the 26th
DAAAM International Symposium, pp. 980-988, doi: 10.2507/26th.daaam.proceedings.138.
Bogue, R. (2016), “Growth in e-commerce boosts innovation in the warehouse robot market”, Industrial
Robot: An International Journal, Vol. 43 No. 6, pp. 583-587, doi: 10.1108/IR-07-2016-0194.
Burinskiene, A., Lorenc, A. and Lerher, T. (2018), “A simulation study for the sustainability and
reduction of waste in warehouse logistics”, International Journal of Simulation Modelling,
Vol. 17 No. 3, pp. 485-497, doi: 10.2507/IJSIMM17(3)446.
Carli, R., Digiesi, S., Dotoli, M. and Facchini, F. (2020a), “A control strategy for smart energy charging
of warehouse material handling equipment”, Procedia Manufacturing, Vol. 42, pp. 503-510, doi:
10.1016/j.promfg.2020.02.041.
Carli, R., Dotoli, M., Digiesi, S., Facchini, F. and Mossa, G. (2020b), “Sustainable scheduling of material Greening
handling activities in labor-intensive warehouses: a decision and control model”, Sustainability,
Vol. 12 No. 8, p. 3111, doi: 10.3390/SU12083111. warehouses: a
Carter, C.R. and Rogers, D.S. (2008), “A framework of sustainable supply chain management: moving
conceptual
toward new theory”, International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, framework
Vol. 38 No. 5, pp. 360-387, doi: 10.1108/09600030810882816.
Choi, T.Y. and Wacker, J.G. (2011), “Theory building in the OM/SCM field: pointing to the future by
looking at the past”, Journal of Supply Chain Management, Vol. 47 No. 2, pp. 8-11. 229
Ciliberti, F., Pontrandolfo, P. and Scozzi, B. (2008), “Logistics social responsibility: standard adoption
and practices in Italian companies”, International Journal of Production Economics, Vol. 113
No. 1, pp. 88-106, doi: 10.1016/j.ijpe.2007.02.049.
Colicchia, C., Creazza, A., Noe, C. and Strozzi, F. (2019), “Information sharing in supply chains: a
review of risks and opportunities using the systematic literature network analysis (SLNA)”,
Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Vol. 24 No. 1, pp. 5-21, doi: 10.1108/SCM-
01-2018-0003.
Cook, P. and Sproul, A. (2011), “Towards low-energy retail warehouse building”, Architectural Science
Review, Vol. 54 No. 3, pp. 206-214, doi: 10.1080/00038628.2011.590055.
Crossan, M.M. and Apaydin, M. (2010), “A multi-dimensional framework of organizational innovation:
a systematic review of the literature”, Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 47 No. 6,
pp. 1154-1191.
Das, J., Tiwari, M., Sinah, A. and Khanzode, V. (2023), “Integrated warehouse assignment and carton
configuration optimization using deep clustering-based evolutionary algorithms”, Expert
Systems with Application, Vol. 212, 11868, doi: 10.1016/j.eswa.2022.118680.
Denyer, D. and Tranfield, D. (2009), “Producing a systematic review”, Chapter 39, in Buchanan, D. and
Bryman, A. (Eds), The Sage Handbook of Organizational Research Methods, Sage Publications,
London, pp. 671-689.
Dhooma, J. and Baker, P. (2012), “An exploratory framework for energy conservation in existing
warehouses”, International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications, Vol. 15 No. 1, pp. 37-
51, doi: 10.1080/13675567.2012.668877V.
udiger, D. and Clausen, U. (2019), “Challenges to standardizing
Dobers, K., Ehrler, V., Davydenko, I., R€
emissions calculation of logistics hubs as basis for decarbonizing transport chains on a global
scale”, Transport Research Record, Vol. 2673 No. 9, pp. 502-513, doi: 10.1177/0361198119844252.
Dobers, K., Perotti, S., Wilmsmeier, G., Mauer, G., Jarmer, J., Spaggiari, L., Hering, M., Romano, S. and
Skalski, M. (2022), “Sustainable logistics hubs: greenhouse gas emissions as one sustainability
key performance indicator”, Proceedings of the Transport Re-search Arena (TRA) Conference,
Lisbon (Portugal), 14th-17th November, pp. 1-8.
Doolun, I.S., Ponnambalam, S.G., Subramanian, N. and Kanagaraj, G. (2018), “Data driven hybrid
evolutionary analytical approach for multi objective location allocation decisions: automotive
green supply chain empirical evidence”, Computers and Operations Research, Vol. 98,
pp. 265-283.
Elkington, J. (2013), “Enter the triple bottom line”, in The Triple Bottom Line, Routledge, pp. 23-38.
Ene, S., K€
uç€
uko glu, I., € urk, N. (2016), “A genetic algorithm for minimizing energy
_ Aksoy, A. and Ozt€
consumption in warehouses”, Energy, Vol. 114, pp. 973-980, doi: 10.1016/j.energy.2016.08.045.
Faveto, A., Panza, L., Bruno, G., Cirimele, V., Furio, S.S. and Lombardi, F. (2022), “Efficient
management of industrial electric vehicles by means of static and dynamic wireless power
transfer systems”, International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Vol. 123
Nos 3-4, pp. 1249-1267, doi: 10.1007/s00170-022-10216-0.
Feng, X., Moon, I. and Ryu, K. (2017), “Warehouse capacity sharing via transshipment for an
integrated two-echelon supply chain”, Transportation Research E: Logistics and Transportation
Review, Vol. 104, pp. 17-35.
IJLM Fichtinger, J., Ries, J.M., Grosse, E.H. and Baker, P. (2015), “Assessing the environmental impact of
integrated inventory and warehouse management”, International Journal of Production
34,7 Economics, Vol. 170, pp. 717-729, doi: 10.1016/j.ijpe.2015.06.025.
Fink, A. (2019), Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper, Sage
Publications.
Foster, A., Negro, D., Varga, L., Hu, Y., Fikiin, K. and Evans, J. (2018), “Financial viability of liquid air
energy storage applied to cold storage warehouses”, Proceedings of the 5th IIR International
230 Conference on Sustainability and the Cold Chain, Beijing, Chine, pp. 508-515, doi: 10.18462/iir.
iccc.2018.0067.
uchtenhans, M., Glock, C.H., Grosse, E.H. and Zanoni, S. (2021), “Using smart lighting systems to
F€
reduce energy costs in warehouses: a simulation study”, International Journal of Logistics
Research and Applications, Vol. 26 No. 1, pp. 77-95, doi: 10.1080/13675567.2021.1937967.
Gioia, D.A., Corley, K.G. and Hamilton, A.L. (2013), “Seeking qualitative rigor in inductive research:
notes on the Gioia methodology”, Organizational Research Methods, Vol. 16 No. 1, pp. 15-31.
Goh, S.H. (2019), “Barriers to low-carbon warehousing and the link to carbon abatement: a case from
emerging Asia”, International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management,
Vol. 49 No. 6, pp. 679-704, doi: 10.1108/IJPDLM-10-2018-0354.
Gruchmann, T., Mies, A., Neukirchen, T. and Gold, S. (2021), “Tensions in sustainable warehousing:
including the blue-collar perspective on automation and ergonomic workplace design”, Journal
of Business Economics, Vol. 1, pp. 151-178, doi: 10.1007/s11573-020-00991-1.
Hohenstein, N., Feisel, E., Hartmann, E. and Giunipero, L. (2015), “Research on the phenomenon of
supply chain resilience: a systematic review and paths for further investigation”, International
Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, Vol. 45 Nos 1/2, pp. 90-117, doi: 10.
1108/IJPDLM-05-2013-0128.
Ishizaka, A., Khan, S.A., Kusi-Sarpong, S. and Naim, I. (2022), “Sustainable warehouse evaluation
with AHPSort traffic light visualization and post-optimal analysis method”, Journal of the
Operational Research Society, Vol. 73 No. 3, pp. 558-575, doi: 10.1080/01605682.2020.
1848361.
Karia, N. and Asaari, M.H.A.H. (2013), “Green innovations in logistics industry: sustainability and
competitive advantage”, Proceedings of the 20th International Business Information
Management Association Conference, (IBIMA), pp. 456-462.
Kaur, J. and Awasthi, A. (2018), “A systematic literature review on barriers in green supply chain
management”, International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management, Vol. 30 No. 3,
pp. 330-348, doi: 10.1504/IJLSM.2018.10013872.
Kovacs, G. and Spens, K.M. (2005), “Abductive reasoning in logistics research”, International Journal
of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, Vol. 35 No. 2, pp. 132-144.
Lagorio, A., Pinto, R. and Golini, R. (2016), “Research in urban logistics: a systematic literature
review”, International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, Vol. 46 No. 10,
pp. 908-931, doi: 10.1108/IJPDLM-01-2016-0008.
Lapisa, R., Karudin, A., Martias, M., Krismadinata, K., Ambiyar, A., Romani, Z. and Salagnac, P.
(2020), “Effect of skylight–roof ratio on warehouse building energy balance and thermal–visual
comfort in hot-humid climate area”, Asian Journal of Civil Engineering, Vol. 21 No. 5,
pp. 915-923, doi: 10.1007/s42107-020-00249-9.
Lee, S., Jeon, H.W., Issabakhsh, M. and Ebrahimi, A. (2022), “An electric forklift routing problem with
battery charing and energy penalty constraints”, Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, Vol. 33
No. 6, pp. 1761-1777, doi: 10.1007/s10845-021-01763-6.
Lerher, T., Edl, M. and Rosi, B. (2014), “Energy efficiency model for the mini-load automated storage
and retrieval systems”, International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Vol. 70
Nos 1-4, pp. 97-115, doi: 10.1007/s00170-013-5253-x.
Li, X., Li, J., Zhou, G. and Lv, L. (2020), “Quantitative analysis of passive seasonal cold storage with a Greening
two-phase closed thermosiphon”, Applied Energy, Vol. 260, 114250, doi: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.
114250. warehouses: a
Liu, X., McKinnon, A.C., Grant, D.B. and Feng, Y. (2010), “Sources of competitiveness for logistics
conceptual
service providers: a UK industry perspective”, Logistics Research, Vol. 2 No. 1, pp. 23-32. framework
Malinowska, M., Rzeczycki, A. and Sowa, M. (2018), “Roadmap to sustainable warehouse”, SHS Web
of Conferences, Vol. 57 No. 2, pp. 10-28.
231
Marchet, G., Melacini, M. and Perotti, S. (2014), “Environmental sustainability in logistics and freight
transportation: a literature review and research agenda”, Journal of Manufacturing Technology
Management, Vol. 25 No. 6, pp. 775-811.
Martin, B., Gerfried, J., Ewald, W., Walter, B., Manfred, K., Mario, S. and Robert, F. (2013), “Hydrogen
powered fuel cell forklifts - demonstration of green warehouse logistics”, Proceedings of the
World Electric Vehicle Symposium and Exhibition (EVS27), pp. 1-4, doi: 10.1109/EVS.2013.
6914853.
Melacini, M., Perotti, S., Rasini, M. and Tappia, E. (2018), “E-fulfilment and distribution in omni-
channel retailing: a systematic literature review”, International Journal of Physical Distribution
and Logistics Management, Vol. 48 No. 4, pp. 391-414.
Meneghetti, A. and Monti, L. (2015), “Greening the food supply chain: an optimisation model for
sustainable design of refrigerated automated warehouses”, International Journal of Production
Research, Vol. 53 No. 21, pp. 6567-6587.
Meneghetti, A., Dal Borgo, E. and Monti, L. (2015), “Decision support optimisation models for design
of sustainable automated warehouses”, International Journal of Shipping and Transport
Logistics, Vol. 7 No. 3, pp. 266-294.
Meneghetti, A., Dal Magro, F. and Simeoni, P. (2018), “Fostering renewables into the cold chain: how
photovoltaics affect design and performance of refrigerated automated warehouses”, Energies,
Vol. 11 No. 5, doi: 10.3390/en11051029.
Minashkina, D. and Happonen, A. (2020), “Decarbonizing warehousing activities through
digitalization and automatization with WMS integration for sustainability supporting
operations”, Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Environment Pollution and
Prevention (ICEPP), p. 158, doi: 10.1051/e3sconf/202015803002.
Molleti, S. and Armstrong, M. (2021), “Smart energy harvesting performance of photovoltaic roof
assemblies in Canadian climate”, Intelligent Buildings International, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 70-88, doi:
10.1080/17508975.2020.1802694.
Mostafaeipour, A., Bardel, B., Mohammadi, K., Sedaghat, A. and Dinpashoh, Y. (2014), “Economic
evaluation for cooling and ventilation of medicine storage warehouses utilizing wind
catchers”, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 38, pp. 12-19, doi: 10.1016/j.rser.
2014.05.087.
Nantee, N. and Sureeyatanapas, P. (2021), “The impact of logistics 4.0 on corporate sustainability: a
performance assessment of automated warehouse operations”, Benchmarking: An International
Journal, Vol. 28 No. 10, pp. 2865-2895, doi: 10.1108/BIJ-11-2020-0583.
Navia-Osorio, E.G., Mazzarron, F.R., Porras-Amores, C. and Canas, I. (2022), “Industrial buildings with
zero energy consumption: cathedral warehouse for Sherry Wines”, Sustainability, Vol. 14 No. 1,
doi: 10.3390/su14010563.
Oswiecinska, A., Hibbs, J., Zajic, I. and Burnham, K.J. (2015), “Towards energy efficient operation
of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems via advanced supervisory control
design”, Journal of Physics: Conference Series, Vol. 659, 012030, doi: 10.1088/1742-6596/659/
1/012030.
Ozturk, H.M., Dombayci, O.A. and Caliskan, H. (2019), “Life-cycle cost, cooling degree day, and carbon
dioxide emission assessments of insulation of refrigerated warehouses industry in Turkey”,
IJLM Journal of Environmental Engineering, Vol. 145 No. 10, doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)EE.1943-7870.
0001575.
34,7
Pamungkas, D., Pipattanasomporn, M., Rahman, S., Hariyanto, N. and Suwarno (2019), “Impacts of
solar PV, battery storage and HVAC set point adjustments on energy savings and peak
demand reduction potentials in buildings”, Proceedings of the Conference on the Industrial and
Commercial use of Energy (ICUE). doi: 10.23919/ICUE-GESD.2018.8635736.
Perdahci, C., Akin, H.C. and Cekic, O. (2018), “A comparative study of fluorescent and LED lighting in
232 industrial facilities”, IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, Vol. 154 No. 1,
doi: 10.1088/1755-1315/154/1/012010.
Perotti, S., Prataviera, L.B. and Melacini, M. (2022), “Assessing the environmental impact of logistics
sites through CO2eq footprint computation”, Business Strategy and the Environment, Vol. 31
No. 4, pp. 1679-1694.
Perotti, S., Coslovich, M. and Granata, E. (2023), “Transitioning towards net-zero warehouses:
empirical insights and best practices in Italy”, Proceedings of the 12th International Conference
on Industrial Technology and Management, Cambridge (UK), February 16th-18th
February, pp. 1-7.
Prataviera, L.B., Creazza, A. and Perotti, S. (2022), “How to integrate logistics environmental
sustainability into corporate strategy? An Italian perspective”, 26th Annual Conference of The
Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, Proceedings of the Logistics Research Network
(LRN) Conference, Aston University (UK), 7th-9th September.
Pratt, R. (2017), “Warehouse transformation”, ASHRAE Journal, Vol. 59 No. 7, pp. 38-42.
Rai, D., Sodagar, B., Fieldson, R. and Hu, X. (2011), “Assessment of CO2 emissions reduction in a
distribution warehouse”, Energy, Vol. 36 No. 4, pp. 2271-2277, doi: 10.1016/j.energy.2010.05.006.
Rajput, S. and Singh, S.P. (2020), “Industry 4.0 model for circular economy and cleaner production”,
Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 277, 123853.
Rhoades, E. (2011), “Literature reviews”, The Volta Review, Vol. 111 No. 1, pp. 61-71.
Ries, J.M., Grosse, E.H. and Fichtinger, J. (2017), “Environmental impact of warehousing: a scenario
analysis for the United States”, International Journal of Production Research, Vol. 55 No. 21,
pp. 6485-6499, doi: 10.1080/00207543.2016.1211342.
Roozbeh Nia, A., Haleh, H. and Saghaei, A. (2017), “Dual command cycle dynamic sequencing method
to consider GHG efficiency in unit-load multiple-rack automated storage and retrieval systems”,
Computers and Industrial Engineering, Vol. 111, pp. 89-108.
Saikovski, V. (2017), “Problems in the operating and calculation of payback of photovoltaic systems in
buildings”, IEEE 58th International Scientific Conference on Power and Electrical Engineering of
Riga Technical University (RTUCON), Riga, Latvia, pp. 1-4, doi: 10.1109/RTUCON.2017.
8125624.
Sailor, D.J. and Vuppuluri, P. (2013), “Energy performance of sustainable roofing systems”,
Proceedings of the ASME 2013 Heat Transfer Summer Conference. doi: 10.1115/HT2013-17535.
Salhieh, L. and Abushaikha, I. (2016), “Assessing the driving forces for greening business practices:
empirical evidence from the United Arab Emirates’ logistics service industry”, South African
Journal of Business Management, Vol. 47 No. 4, pp. 59-69, doi: 10.4102/sajbm.v47i4.75.
Sarabia Escriva, E.J., Soto Frances, V. and Pinazo Ojer, J.M. (2020), “Comparison of annual cooling
energy demand between conventional and inflatable dock door shelters for refrigerated and
frozen food warehouses”, Thermal Science and Engineering Progress, Vol. 15, doi: 10.1016/j.tsep.
2019.100386.
Seifhashem, M., Capra, B.R., Milller, W. and Bell, J. (2018), “The potential for cool roofs to improve the
energy efficiency of single storey warehouse-type retail buildings in Australia: a simulation
case study”, Energy and Buildings, Vol. 158, pp. 1393-1403, doi: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2017.11.034.
uller, M. (2008), “From a literature review to a conceptual framework for sustainable
Seuring, S. and M€
supply chain management”, Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 16 No. 15, pp. 1699-1710.
Seuring, S., Yawar, S.A., Land, A., Khalid, R.U. and Sauer, P.C. (2020), “The application of theory in Greening
literature reviews–illustrated with examples from supply chain management”, International
Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 41 No. 1, pp. 1-20. warehouses: a
Silva, M.E., Fritz, M.M.C. and El-Garaihy, W.H. (2022), “Practice theories and supply chain
conceptual
sustainability: a systematic literature review and a research agenda”, Modern Supply Chain framework
Research and Applications, Vol. 4 No. 1, pp. 19-38, doi: 10.1108/MSCRA-01-2021-0001.
Snyder, H. (2019), “Literature review as a research methodology: an overview and guidelines”, Journal
of Business Research, Vol. 104, pp. 333-339. 233
Stankovic, R., Rogic, K. and Safran, M. (2022), “Saving energy by optimizing dock door allocation”,
Energies, Vol. 15 No. 16, doi: 10.3390/en15165862.
Sukjit, S. and Vanichchinchai, A. (2020), “An assessment of motivations on green warehousing in
Thailand”, Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Industrial Engineering and
Applications (ICIEA), pp. 539-542, doi: 10.1109/ICIEA49774.2020.9102035.
Swanson, D., Goel, L., Francisco, K. and Stock, J. (2020), “Understanding the relationship between
general and middle-range theorizing”, The International Journal of Logistics Management,
Vol. 31 No. 3, pp. 401-421.
Tan, K., Ahmed, M.D. and Sundaram, D. (2009), “Sustainable warehouse management”, Proceedings of
the International Workshop on Enterprise and Organizational Modeling and Simulation. doi: 10.
1145/1750405.1750415.
Tappia, E., Marchet, G., Melacini, M. and Perotti, S. (2015), “Incorporating the environmental
dimension in the assessment of automated warehouses”, Production Planning and Control,
Vol. 26 No. 10, pp. 824-838, doi: 10.1080/09537287.2014.990945.
Tornese, F., Unnu, K., Gnoni, M.G. and Pazour, J.A. (2020), “On-demand warehousing: main features
and business models”, Conference Proceedings of the XXV Summer School “Francesco Turco” –
Industrial Systems Engineering.
Tranfield, D., Denyer, D. and Smart, P. (2003), “Towards a methodology for developing evidence-
informed management knowledge by means of systematic review”, British Journal of
Management, Vol. 14 No. 3, pp. 207-222.
Unnu, K. and Pazour, J.A. (2019), “Analysing varying cost structures of alternative warehouse
strategies”, Conference Proceedings of the 2019 IISE Annual Conference, Orlando, Florida.
Vaismoradi, M., Turunen, H. and Bondas, T. (2013), “Content analysis and thematic analysis:
implications for conducting a qualitative descriptive study”, Nursing & Health Sciences, Vol. 15
No. 3, pp. 398-405.
Varma, A.K., Karjee, J. and Mitra, D. (2021), “A self-adaptive network for multi-robot warehouse
communication”, Computing, Vol. 103 No. 2, pp. 333-356.
Wacker, J.G. (2008), “A conceptual understanding for requirements for theory-building research:
guidelines for scientific theory building”, Journal of Supply Chain Management, Vol. 44
No. 3, pp. 5-15.
Wahab, S.N., Sayuti, N.M. and Ab Talib, M.S. (2018), “Antecedents of green warehousing: a theoretical
framework and future direction”, International Journal of Supply Chain Management, Vol. 7
No. 6, pp. 382-388.
(2020), “Energy efficiency in logistics through
Wehner, J., Altuntas Vural, C. and Halldorsson, A.
service modularity: the case of household waste”, International Journal of Physical Distribution
and Logistics Management, Vol. 51 No. 1, pp. 76-94.
World Economic Forum (2016), “World economic Forum white paper digital transformation of
industries: in collaboration with accenture”, White Paper. World Economic Forum, available at:
http://reports.weforum.org/digital-transformation/wp-content/blogs.dir/94/mp/files/pages/files/
wef-dti-logisticswhitepaper-final-january-2016 (accessed 17 January 2021).
Xin, L.J., Xien, K.C. and Wahab, S.N. (2019), “A study on the factors influencing green warehouse
practice”, Proceedings of the 2019 International Conference on Building Energy Conservation
IJLM Thermal Safety and Environmental Pollution Control (ICBTE), pp. 1-8, doi: 10.1051/e3sconf/
201913601040.
34,7
Yang, P., Tao, P., Xu, P. and Gong, Y. (2023), “Bi-objective operation optimization in multi-shuttle
automated storage and retrieval systems to reduce travel time and energy consumption”,
Engineering Optimization, Vol. 55 No. 9, pp. 1498-1515, doi: 10.1080/0305215X.2022.2096881.
You, Z., Wang, L., Han, Y. and Zare, F. (2018), “System design and energy management for a fuel cell/
battery hybrid forklift”, Energies, Vol. 11, p. 12, doi: 10.3390/en11123440.
234
Corresponding author
Sara Perotti can be contacted at: sara.perotti@polimi.it
For instructions on how to order reprints of this article, please visit our website:
www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/licensing/reprints.htm
Or contact us for further details: permissions@emeraldinsight.com

10 1108 - Ijlm 02 2022 0086

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

10 1108 - Ijlm 02 2022 0086

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

10 1108 - Ijlm 02 2022 0086

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

Greening warehouses through Greening

3.1 Scope of the analysis

204 Keyw ord s form u lat ion an d

Phase 3 – Paper select ion and evaluat ion

Screen in g Elig ib ilit y Fin al in clu sion

Phase 4 – Analysis and synt hesis

D escrip t ive an alysis M et h od olog y ad op t ed RQs ad d ressed

Phase 5 – Report ing and using t he result s

D iscu ssion an d im p licat ion s

3.2 Locating papers

3.3 Paper selection and evaluation

5. Results and framework development

5.1 Green building

1 Ciliberti et al 2008 Italy Logistics social responsibility: International Journal of Literature x

41 Li et al 2020 China Quantitative analysis of passive Applied Energy Case study/ x x

5.4 Material handling and automation

5.6 Operational practices

5.7 Framework development

7. Conclusions and implications

You might also like