Global Sustainable Logistics Survey (GSLS)
Warming Stripes by Ed Hawkins (showyourstripes.info), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Changes were made.
Logistics: Agreement on climate solutions, dependency on infrastructure and policy
First global survey finds 83% of logistics professionals expect adaptation to force a fundamental redesign of logistics networks, but only 45% consider current efforts adequate
Logistics companies and their customers largely agree on which measures cut emissions. But solutions that need heavy investment, public infrastructure or policy support, such as charging networks and rail, are lagging, according to the first Global Sustainable Logistics Survey (GSLS), initiated and published today by Kühne Logistics University (KLU) and the Kuehne Climate Center (KCC). The report sets a baseline for tracking the sector over the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport (2026–2035) and is based on responses from 1,085 people working in logistics across 64 countries. The survey is the first global, longitudinal study on sustainable logistics. The report covers the perceived effectiveness, feasibility, and adoption of solutions; the availability of skills needed; and how climate change is affecting operations today. Based on the findings, the report makes 10 recommendations for policymakers and 12 for logistics professionals.
Supporting the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport
The GSLS contributes to the United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport (2026–2035) by providing data and insights that help monitor progress toward more sustainable transport and logistics systems.
Supporting Partners
What our partners say
“This report adds valuable evidence to the debate on skills in logistics. Training is among the most cost-effective investments the sector can make. After all, even the best technology is only as useful as the people operating it. Treating training as an investment rather than a cost is not just good practice – it is good business.”
“The Global Sustainable Logistics Survey stands out for the breadth of its global reach, drawing on both supply- and demand-side voices across freight transport and the logistics sector. The survey enabled us to define valuable policy and industry recommendations. To scale up sustainable, low-carbon solutions we require more effective policy frameworks supporting emission reductions, increasing resilience, and ensuring zero-emission freight solutions extended across all modes. Embracing these recommendations is an urgently needed action policymakers should act on without delay.”
“Policymakers and companies will find real value in this report’s global evidence on climate action in logistics, from reducing emissions to adapting to physical climate risks. It rightly calls for adaptation finance to be scaled and targeted at the most vulnerable elements of transport and logistics systems, such as road freight in Africa. Strengthening these systems can benefit communities, companies, countries and consumers alike.”
“This report offers a rigorous, multi-regional contribution to the logistics sector, drawing on the perspectives of representatives from supply chains around the world. It highlights a challenge we see clearly in Chile: the need to accelerate modal shift in South America by further developing rail infrastructure and harmonizing cross-border standards. Investment in intermodal terminals and corridors, with landlocked countries and other countries along these corridors taking a leading role, is precisely the kind of action we encourage policymakers to prioritize.”
“This report is timely and highly relevant for China, where freight decarbonization now depends on moving from isolated pilots to coordinated market demand. Through SFC China’s work with shippers, carriers, OEMs, infrastructure partners, and public-sector stakeholders, we are helping translate global insights into practical pathways for zero-emission freight deployment. By aggregating demand, building trusted partnerships, and supporting real-world corridor and fleet electrification initiatives, SFC China aims to accelerate the conditions suppliers need to invest, scale, and deliver zero-emission logistics solutions.”