Enhancing Sustainable Last-Mile Delivery Solutions in Urban and Rural Areas: A Comprehensive study on 3PL companies in Sweden

Research Background: Ensuring delivery within the city now plays a vital role in improving sustainability within logistics, as online shopping keeps growing fast. Green delivery is being applied by Third-Party Logistics (3PL) companies in Sweden to both control their impact on nature and to fulfil the desire of consumers for eco-friendly businesses. Some companies are trying out electric cars, bike deliveries, smart parcel lockers, and route planning programs. Even so, their success depends greatly on whether they are in the city or the countryside, mainly because of infrastructural differences and flight costs. Research Purpose: The study is designed to explore how Swedish 3PL companies are implementing sustainability in last-mile delivery in all types of environments. The purpose is to find out the advantages of EVs, bike couriers, and parcel lockers for the environment and study the obstacles to adopting them. The study further investigates how consumers’ choices, standards, and new technologies play a role in promoting green logistics everywhere. Method: Since the study looked at understanding viewpoints, qualitative research was done using an interpretive approach with three groups of people: managers in logistics, sustainability officers, and operations executives. Information was gathered by speaking to nine stakeholders from 3PL companies active in both urban and rural districts. Various themes were identified, including shortcomings in infrastructure, inconsistency in laws, and what people think about green logistics. The research also compares the problems and possibilities encountered during delivery in cities and rural areas. Findings: According to the findings, operating last-mile deliveries with EVs, bikes, and parcel lockers is good for the environment since it leads to fewer emissions and less noise. Even so, rural areas struggle to use EVs, as charging points are few and EVs are more expensive to run and maintain. Experts argue that to adopt green logistics, various policies should be set together, funds should be invested in logistics infrastructure, and people must learn more about these changes. When 3PL companies follow global targets for sustainability, they improve their work and support the preservation of the environment in all areas around the world.