Analysis on the Connotation of Green Logistics

Abstract

Green logistics which based on ecological environmental protection and sustainable development changed the unilaterally influencing relations between development and logistics, life of consumption and logistics, and it represented the future development direction and trend of logistics. Based on existing definitions of green logistics, this paper analyzed the connotation and related concepts of green logistics both in China and abroad and dissected the connotation of green logistics in aspects of objective, function, content, actors, etc. And the insufficiency of existing research results and future development direction were given on the basis of existing research results. In the current society, with the rapid development of economy, modern logistics activity has become increasingly frequent. At the same time, development of these two just affects each other. It is undeniable that development of modern logistics will promote economic development; meanwhile, rapid development of economy can also increase the logistics quantity. Therefore, they just supplement each other. With continuous development of economy, the demand for logistics increases continuously. Under the condition of high demand, many problems occur, such as urban traffic congestion, waste of resources and fuel consumption. Under such situations, the influence of logistics development on social environment is quite severe and it goes against sustainable development of economy in a new period. At present, people's environmental awareness increases gradually, and they begin to explore new logistics systems which can not only satisfy the demand of social development but also restrain the influence of logistics activity on environment. Thereby, "green logistics" emerges as the times require. "Green logistics" not only effectively improves the environment pollution problems of traditional logistics but also accords with the general trend of the current environmental protection. Therefore, it is the direction of future logistics development. As for study on "green logistics", a definition is proposed for green logistics in Logistics Terms (GB/T 18354-2001) published in 2001. However, the extensive logistics professionals lack a comprehensive understanding about green logistics and its characteristics. As a result, they cannot fully understand and even misunderstand green logistics, or some unnecessary faults might be caused. Therefore, it can provide reference for practical work of green logistics to strengthen cognition about green logistics and accurately comprehend the connotation of green logistics