Sustainability in third-party logistics provider selection: criteria from an emerging market perspective using SLR and ANP
Elif Koc et al.
What the paper says
Purpose This paper aims to investigate the prioritisation of sustainability criteria in the selection of third-party logistics (3PL) providers in Turkey, an emerging market, offering insights into the growing importance of sustainable practices in logistics decision-making. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a dual-method approach, combining a systematic literature review to identify key sustainability criteria and the analytic network process (ANP) to assess and rank these criteria based on expert evaluations from the Turkish logistics sector. Findings The findings indicate that while cost remains the dominant factor in 3PL provider selection in Turkey, sustainability considerations such as environmental compliance and waste management are gaining traction as essential components of the decision-making process. Research limitations/implications Some limitations of this investigation ought to be recognised. The complexity of the ANP, particularly the pairwise comparison matrices, may have challenged certain experts, potentially influencing their participation and the results. Even though ten domain specialists were involved, bias may result from the reliance on expert judgement. Expanding the scope to encompass a broader range of emerging markets could enhance the generalisability of the findings in future research. The selection criteria may be more comprehensively analysed by incorporating supplementary quantitative methods in addition to ANP. Originality/value This paper offers a comprehensive framework for integrating sustainability into the selection of 3PL providers in emerging markets, particularly Turkey. By highlighting environmental, social and economic sustainability factors alongside service capacity, technology and quality considerations, the study provides valuable insights for businesses looking to balance sustainability with operational efficiency in their supply chain strategies.
Evidence weight
Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40
| F · citation impact | 0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20 |
| M · momentum | 0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07 |
| V · venue signal | 0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03 |
| R · text relevance † | 0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20 |
† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.