Identifying and prioritising sustainability integration strategies in oil industry logistics: A multi-dimensional analysis

Abstract

The oil industry plays a crucial role in the global energy supply. However, its operations pose significant environmental and sustainability challenges. Integrating sustainability into logistics processes is essential for enhancing efficiency, reducing costs, and minimising environmental impact. Despite growing awareness, the industry faces obstacles such as inadequate training, limited resources, security concerns, and insufficient infrastructure. To accomplish this, a mixed-method approach combining thematic analysis with multi-criteria decision-making techniques is adopted to identify and prioritise key sustainability integration activities within oil industry logistics. As a result of expert interviews and literature analysis, 23 sustainability integration activities were identified and categorised into three groups: upstream, midstream, and downstream. Based on expert evaluations, the Best-Worst Method (BWM) was used to prioritise sustainability integration activities in the quantitative phase. The three most important priorities are technological innovation (0.331605), cleaner production methods (0.094957), and sustainability in gas processing (0.101721). Based on the study, these factors used with value chain mapping, relevant training, and infrastructure improvements, can reduce emissions and waste while increasing efficiency and resilience across upstream, midstream, and downstream operations.