Abstract
The whole world ecological environment worsens, and low-carbon economical and sustainable development becomes
the general trend. The retail trade as the middle link of the whole economic cycle plays an important role on the
relations of each essential factor in the entire economic environment. The concepts of low-carbon economy, and
green logistics, and electrical appliances retail trade are discussed and the problems existing in the green logistics of
the electrical appliances retail trade are explored. Based on the analysis of the business process and functions of green
logistics in the electrical appliances retail trade, the system architecture of green logistics in the electrical appliances
retail trade is established. Finally, the strategies and measures of greening logistics in the electrical appliances retail
industry are proposed.
Keywords: Low-carbon economy; Green logistics; Electrical appliances retail; System architecture; Measures and strategies
1. Introduction
It is necessary for the human society to take the low carbon and green development path because
industrialization has driven society development and has resulted in a series of environmental problems.
Logistics development also should follow environmentally sustainable development. The applications of
green logistics to various fields have become an important project.
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +86-531-82769921; fax: +86-531-82769921.
E-mail address: chenxvz@163.com.
Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
© 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of RIUDS
Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Chen Xuezhong et al. / Energy Procedia 5 (2011) 332–336 333
2. The related literature reviewed
What is the low-carbon economy? The white book of Britain named “Our future energy: creating a low
carbon economy ” [1] said that low-carbon economy is an economic system with little or no greenhouse gas
emissions into the atmosphere, or an economic system that the carbon footprint is close to or equal to zero.
Chinese Academy of Science [2] considers that a low carbon economy is an economic model based on low
energy and low pollution and low emission. Currently there is no uniform definition of low-carbon
economy. Here the definition of low-carbon economy is given as follows based on the aggregation of the
studies at home and abroad. The low carbon economy is an economic development model of high energy
efficiency and low energy consumption and low emission. The core meanings of the low-carbon economy
are the development of low carbon technologies and using alternative energy sources and promoting lowcarbon consumption and establishing a low-carbon development institution and making low-carbon
development policies.
The appliances retail industry mainly engaged household appliances. Appliances retail as the
intermediate links of the manufacturers and consumers of household electrical appliances have an
important responsibility on protecting the environment and have sufficient favorable conditions.
The green logistics emerges and develops in 1990s. H. J. Wu and S. Dunn [3], Jean-Paul Rodrigue,
Brian Slack and Claude Comtois [4] put forward their own point of view. The executive committee of
reverse logistics of the United States [5] also defines green logistics. The book “Green Logistics ” written
by Bjorn N. and Palle Petersen in Denmark considers that green logistics is the ecological management of
the former logistics and reverse logistics. "Logistics Term" (GB/T18354-2001) published in China in
2001 considers that the logistics resources can be fully used with achieving the purification of the logistics
environment and no damage to the environment. EU and Japan also made relevant government policies
and industry measures. UK takes green measures on supply chain management in the manufacturing. P. R.
Murphy and R. F. Poist [6] put forward a green logistics strategy model. The research of green logistics in
China is mainly located in the theoretical study and the specific application is less discussed.