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Toward a Physical Internet: meeting the global logistics sustainability grand challenge

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Logistics Research

Abstract

This paper starts with the assertion that the way physical objects are currently transported, handled, stored, realized, supplied, and used throughout the world is unsustainable economically, environmentally, and socially. Evidence supporting this assertion is exposed through a set of key unsustainability symptoms. Then, the paper expresses the goal to revert this situation, thus meeting the global logistics sustainability grand challenge. It suggests exploiting the Digital Internet metaphor to develop a Physical Internet vision toward meeting this grand challenge. The paradigm breaking vision is introduced through a set of its key characteristics. The paper then proceeds with addressing the implications and requirements for implementing the Physical Internet vision as a means to meet the grand challenge. It concludes with a call for further research, innovation, and development to really shape and assess the vision and, much more important, to give it flesh through real initiatives and projects so as to really influence in a positive way the collective future. For this to happen, it emphasizes the requirement for multidisciplinary collaboration among and between academia, industry, and government across localities, countries, and continents.

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Acknowledgments

Numerous researchers have contributed to help the author introduce the Physical Internet as presented in this paper through rigorous comments and stimulating discussions. Sincere thanks to all of them: in Europe, colleagues Eric Ballot and Frédéric Fontane from Mines ParisTech, Rémy Glardon from EPFL, Detlef Spee from Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistic, and Rene De Koster from Erasmus University; in America, colleagues Russell D. Meller from University of Arkansas, Kevin Gue and Jeff Smith from Auburn University, Kimberley Ellis form Virginia Tech, Leon McGinnis from Georgia Tech and Mike Ogle from MHIA; at the CIRRELT research center in Canada, colleagues Teodor Crainic from UQAM, Michel Gendreau from Université de Montréal, as well as, from Université Laval, colleagues Olivier Labarthe, Mustapha Lounès and Jacques Renaud, and graduate students Driss Hakimi, Hamza Heni, Christelle Montreuil, Salma Naccache and Helia Sohrabi. The Canada Research Chair in Enterprise Engineering, the Discovery Research Grants Program of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and the College-Industry Council on Material Handling Education have provided financial support to this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Canada Research Chair in Enterprise Engineering, CIRRELT Interuniversity Research Center on Enterprise Networks, Logistics and Transportation, Université Laval, Quebec, QC, Canada

    Benoit Montreuil

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  1. Benoit Montreuil
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Correspondence to Benoit Montreuil.

Additional information

In an effort to stimulate open innovation toward the Physical Internet, a Physical Internet Manifesto has been created and is regularly updated by the author. It is made publicly available at the http://www.physicalinternetinitative.org website. In a slideshow mode, it presents and illustrates the Physical Internet vision detailed in this paper.

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Montreuil, B. Toward a Physical Internet: meeting the global logistics sustainability grand challenge. Logist. Res. 3, 71–87 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12159-011-0045-x

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