Abstract
The road freight transport industry is significant in the modern world, enabling the movement of goods and raw materials between various places. However, traditional transport methods, characterised by high carbon emissions, have caused concerns about sustainability and environmental impact. Despite urgent calls for green logistics initiatives to mitigate these effects, adoption rates remain low. South Africa, like many developing countries, encounters several challenges in adopting green logistics practices, particularly in the freight industry
The study objective was to investigate the status of implementing green logistics in the freight industry in Gauteng, South Africa. To achieve this objective, a survey through a structured questionnaire was conducted among 200 randomly selected companies in the freight industry in Gauteng, South Africa. The findings revealed that adopting green logistics has become a key requirement for organisations to ensure environmental sustainability and improve their image. The evidence from the study showed that there is an ongoing emphasis and implementation of green logistics in the freight industry in Gauteng, South Africa
The need to improve a firm’s competitiveness, the strategic goals set by top management, the need to fulfil the company’s environmental mission, social responsibility requirements and differentiation from competitors are regarded as green logistics management initiatives. These initiatives, such as the use of sustainable transport product packaging, cooperation with supply chain stakeholders in environmental management, promoting employees’ initiatives in the development of environmental measures, and green transport initiatives influence operational performance. Green transport includes optimising the distribution of transport cargo, eco-routing and scheduling, and increasing vehicle capacity. The most significant challenges associated with the implementation of the green logistics initiatives are the high implementation costs, lack of government support, not understanding the costs, lack of return on investment and reluctance from suppliers to implement sustainable practices were identified.