Greening Tools in Transport and Logistics Operations: A Policy-Instrument Classification and Governance Assessment

Abstract

The decarbonisation of transport and logistics is not only a technological challenge but also a problem of policy design, investment sequencing, institutional capacity, and corporate implementation. This article develops a five-part classification of greening tools used in transport and logistics operations and interprets them as a coordinated policy-instrument portfolio. The framework distinguishes legal and regulatory instruments, technical and technological solutions, economic instruments, organisational-managerial tools, and informational-analytical mechanisms. The study uses a structured integrative review of the literature cited in the manuscript, comparative analysis of European Union and Ukrainian regulatory sources, and qualitative evidence synthesis. It deliberately avoids pooled effect-size estimates because the underlying studies use heterogeneous units, baselines, technologies, and system boundaries. The analysis shows that the five instrument families are complementary: regulation establishes minimum requirements, economic instruments alter investment incentives, infrastructure and technology enable compliance, organisational measures improve operational efficiency, and information systems make performance measurable and auditable. For Ukraine, the central challenge is to combine EU-alignment obligations with wartime resilience and reconstruction priorities. The article therefore proposes a governance sequence based on measurement, regulatory alignment, infrastructure planning, targeted finance, implementation, and verification. The contribution is a transparent classification and decision framework rather than a claim that a single universal emissions-reduction percentage can be assigned to an integrated portfolio.