How Standardization Will Balance Sustainability Goals in the Transport Component of Energy Supply Chains:

Abstract

Society will likely intensify demands on all supply chain participants to facilitate attainment of two seemingly conflicting sustainability goals: economic and environmental. Critics argue these goals are stubbornly irreconcilable tradeoffs. However, there is significant evidence of their complementarity. This article discusses how many opposing public-policy forces interact to impose the appearance of daunting contradiction. The policy analysis demonstrated here offers a logical path out of the apparent morass. It is argued that the advantages of standardization for key energy supply chain elements can harmonize these existing and other emerging interests, both foreseeable and unforeseeable. The crude-by-rail controversy illustrates how these standardization matters impact national energy policy.

Environmental Sustainability in Freight Transportation: A Systematic Literature Review and Agenda for Future Research

“…Most of the reported outcomes are positive and quantitative, including reduced cost (Bagby 2015; MacHaris et al 2007), reduced emissions (Aronsson and Brodin 2006; Rizet et al 2012), and reduced fuel consumption (Lieb and Lieb 2010). These three often go hand in hand.…”

Standard setting and carrier differentiation at seaports

“…Tighter integration with prominent supply chains could provide a source of value added for ocean carriers if they are seen as the prime movers of the efforts. Coordinated efforts to improve integration downstream toward the destination by ocean shippers, mediated by standardization, will result in better differentiation for individual carriers regarding logistics costs, better performance and service, and more business on specific routes for alliances (Bagby, 2015;Notteboom and Rodrigue, 2005).…”

“…Standard setting can enhance cooperation when complementary products or services are part of the offer (Bagby, 2015;Leiponen, 2008). In industries such as electronics and computing, complementary products and services have become paramount in marketing any product.…”

“…Within the shipping industry, one can view the advent of 20′ and 40′ containers adopted by much of the shipping industry in the mid to late 1960's as a standard that generated a host of complementary traffic for carriers of all kinds. Container variety prior to standardization retarded competitive product and service diffusion desired by customers (Bagby, 2015).…”