Sustainability assessment of inter-urban crowdshipping - A case study approach

Abstract

Given the severity and effects of global warming, countries are undertaking attempts to restrict emissions through research, carbon taxes, and other means and policies. Over the last decade, one promising emerging concept in the sharing economy has been crowdshipping. It is currently in its early phases, with little research on its sustainability, particularly while operating in inter-city or inter-urban areas. This study focuses on the sustainability assessment of inter-urban crowdshipping through a case study approach, where the existent literature is scarce. The research employs a multi method quantitative approach with a case study, where descriptive analysis is used to explore the case company's operations. It addresses the other research questions by performing environmental and financial impact assessment considering two relevant scenarios with postal services and transporter operations. Data from the carrier's (Nimber AS, Norway) platform were extracted over 6 months and complemented with a survey for analysis. When compared to alternative scenarios in which 3 PL service providers are utilized, crowdshipping appeared to contribute to lower emissions. It also seemed to be more cost-effective for the users. Unpublished evidence from the ongoing EU LEAD project suggests that access to micro-hubs could be one important urban logistics policy instrument to enhance efficiency for crowdshipping platforms.