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This article received the Best Article Award in Sustainable Supply Chain in 2026

This prize is awarded jointly by France Supply Chain by Aslog’s Lab SupplyChain4Good and AIRL-SCM, the association of French-speaking researchers in logistics and SCM.

Although there is a growing interest in developing sustainable cities, a significant knowledge gap persists regarding the concrete logistics choices necessary to achieve such cities. Grounded in ethnographic research on city logistics, this study examines how logistics service providers (LSPs) navigate sustainability challenges within the urban ecosystem while also meeting the efficiency demands of their business ecosystem. By repositioning LSPs as a sub- ecosystem nested within the broader urban ecosystem, the
article demonstrates how LSPs adeptly address the intricacies of the urban environment and respond to pressures from their business ecosystem.

This investigation greatly enhances the understanding of the underlying issues affecting city logistics’ sus tainability. It deepens insight into the concept of city logistics as a sub- ecosystem within the urban ecosystem, highlighting how its sustainability is intertwined with the structure of the urban ecosystem. From a societal perspective, this research conceptualizes city logistics as a business activity and a vital social service that bolsters urban well- being. The findings suggest a need for further research into the role of city logistics actors as key contributors to urban sustainability.

By Hugo de Tarragon and Christina Theodoraki from the IAE Limoges and IAE Aix-Marseille, France.