Improving Sustainability in Last-Mile Logistics in Retail and Service Systems

This study develops and tests an applied framework for improving last-mile logistics sustainability in retail and service systems. A structured literature review of peer-reviewed studies (2019–2026; n = 35) is combined with directed content analysis and semiquantitative coding. Six implementation practice groups are evaluated across eight indicators: emissions, resource efficiency, circularity, cost, responsiveness, integration, transparency, and retail/service applicability. Based on the evidence matrix, a phased scenario model is designed for an urban retail-service network handling 10,000 weekly deliveries. The results indicate that IoT-enabled real-time visibility, blockchain-based traceability, and route optimisation with warehouse-transport synchronisation generate the strongest multicriteria effect. In the modelled transition from baseline to full implementation (S0–S3), weekly CO2 emissions decrease by 36.9%, unit fulfilment cost decreases by 18.7%, and on-time delivery increases by 9.1%.