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Integrate the numerous initiatives and research techniques that have already made a contribution to improving the sustainability of distribution but are currently applied in a fragmented and unco-ordinated way
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Establish baseline trends in a series of key freight transport parameters to determine how the environmental impact of distribution will worsen in the absence of new initiatives or wider adoption of existing `green` measures
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Identify and prioritise sustainable distribution measures in terms of their potential economic and environmental contribution at a range of spatial scales and in different industrial sectors
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Review the range of methodologies currently employed in the study of sustainable distribution and improve the analytical `toolkit` available to future researchers in this field, particularly in the areas of supply chain dynamics, vehicle routing and scheduling, cost-benefit analysis, freight modal split, urban distribution and reverse logistics
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Find ways to engage industry and policy makers in a coordinated approach to enhancing sustainable distribution. Examine the barriers to inter-organisational co-operation in this field and devise methods to overcome them
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Develop a suite of analytical approaches to help managers and policy makers assess the effects of their decisions on the sustainability of distribution operations. Demonstrate these approaches to show how they can be applied to real-world logistics problems