Contemporary problems and challenges of sustainable distribution of perishable cargoes: Case study of Polish cold port stores

摘要

Nowadays, a lot of attention is given to the issues of sustainable development of transport. Transport and logistics companies, including those involved in distribution of perishable goods, undertake different activities in order to reduce negative impact of transport on the environment. The purpose of the article is to determine the principles of sustainable distribution of perishable goods and to examine the current state and plans of its principles application in business practice on the cold port stores example. Contemporary problems of sustainable distribution of perishable cargo have been identified. Marketing research was used to identify the main directions of activities undertaken by port cold stores in the field of sustainable distribution of food perishable goods. The case study of port cold stores located in Poland was considered. According to the examined cold stores, economic and organizational factors are the most important among the factors set. The challenges faced by cold port stores in their efforts to comply with the principles of sustainable distribution were recognized. Moreover, research indicates that port cold stores are aware of their role in the sustainable distribution of perishable cargoes and strive to improve its conditions. As the result of the research, the areas of possible improvements in the functioning of cold stores have been specified. The article presents a new perspective on the problems of perishable cargo sustainable distribution as a link of supply chain.