Measuring Environmental Performance as a Transport Purchaser - An Allocation Method

The problem addressed in this paper is how to allocate the environmental aspect of transports to the cargo transported. The cargo type was limited to high volume, low value cargo. The problem was also addressed from a transport purchasing perspective. The research was both case study inspired as well as action research oriented. The model was developed in a company where the researcher actively participated in its development. The company in the case study is a major European transport purchaser for high volume, low value cargo. The results of the case study have been generalised into a method for allocating the environmental aspect of the transport to the cargo itself. The practical implication is a method which enables transport purchasers to allocate environmental aspect of transports to the cargo transported. The method accounts for transport flow characteristics, the utilisation of the means of transport, and the characteristics of the cargo transported, such as packaging characteristics. The theoretical implication is a contribution to developing a general allocation theory for determining the environmental aspect of transported cargoes.