As the quest for sustainable solutions in city logistics gains momentum, innovative collaborative business models are emerging as key contributors towards this transformation. These emerging business models strive to revolutionise last-mile delivery services, focusing on resilient and eco-friendly solutions that can benefit the urban environment, while optimising the operations of the service providers. New interventions are sprawling across various areas, from the usage of autonomous vehicles and droids/bots to the establishment of micro-consolidation centers in public spaces and the implementation of cargo-hitching initiatives.

In our ever-evolving world, the buzzword “Sustainability” resonates in our ears across all sectors. Among varied facets of sustainability, “Sustainable Logistics” or “Green Logistics”, has become one of the most heard ones since our thoughts gravitate toward carbon emissions from vehicles by having transportation a cornerstone of our lives.

The urban distribution of goods encompasses the entire flow of merchandise that occurs within a city. This includes not only the final step of the supply-chain (i.e., its last mile) but all the operations associated with delivery, collection, transfer, loading and unloading, placement at points of sale, and return of reverse logistics.

Several industry-led initiatives had shown that pooling resources may help ameliorate the last-mile logistics and the related operations, while at the same time satisfying customers' expectations for fast, error-free and on-time delivery.

Living Labs (LLs) provide collaborative environments where stakeholders can experiment and test innovative solutions in real-world settings. In the realm of city logistics, LLs offer a platform for stakeholders to co-create and co-design interventions that enhance the efficiency, sustainability, and resilience of urban logistics systems.

The GREEN-LOG project aims to accelerate the shift to sustainable and smart mobility in last mile delivery by introducing a Marketplace as a solution, which targets the link from the suppliers to the consumers in a more sustainable and eco-friendly way.