For logistics systems to become environmentally responsible and sustainable, the traditional logistics view of minimising costs and lead times needs to be balanced by the target to minimise environmental impacts;
The abovementioned survey results show that environmental awareness will become substantially important in the mid-term.
Changes in social and consumer behaviour characteristics
Description:
The increasing degree of individualisation (e.g. appropriate parameter: share of one-person households), which notably increased over the past decades, is expected to continue at least until 2025. Individualisation, revealing an individual differentiation by dissociating from the common lifestyle and its general ideals, will broaden the types of living, consumption, working etc., which will have consequences for consumer behaviour and its satisfaction (smaller packaging, increasing frequency of purchase, e-commerce, conscious and sustainable demand, variety of product types, changes of spatial and temporal demand etc.).
Legal basis:
Not applicable.
Relevance for the logistic market:
The fact that lifestyles are undergoing a more rapid change than ever in post-industrial society, and individualisation is increasing, is expected to have a minor direct influence on the logistics sector, but a stronger indirect influence because of an distinct change in personal mobility, consumer behaviour, diversity of work, importance of recreational time, etc.;
The influence of connections between social and consumer behaviour on the logistics sector might not be obvious at first glance; however, it is expected to have an impact on the amount of ordering processes and direct deliveries, transport supply system and subsequent transport loads;
In general, it is a reasonable assumption that individual lifestyles and thus the individual degree of individualisation is expected to increase, and will gain importance accordingly.
3.2.4 Technological factors
Vehicle and transport technologies (cleaner vehicles)
Description:
Clean and energy efficient vehicles are very important in achieving the EU objectives of decreasing energy consumption, CO2 and other pollutant emissions;
Major technological developments relate to the production of more energy-efficient vehicles capable of adhering to the increasingly strict emission standards set forth by the European Commission. For heavy-duty vehicles involved in road freight transport, the Euro V standard has been effective since October 2008, while the Euro VI will be gradually rolled-out to commercial vehicles starting from September 2014 (cf. Regulation EU 136/201484 as quoted below);