The impact on urban distribution operations of upstream supply chain constraints

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate and quantify the impact of delivery restrictions on costs and environmental performance for a distribution operation. Design/methodology/approach – Data were gathered from a company and several scenarios with varying delivery restrictions were investigated. Findings – The results show significant reductions in cost and environmental impacts are achieved when restrictions are relaxed. However, the research also highlighted the importance of adopting a supply chain (SC) approach to the removal of restrictions and the need for public/private sector cooperation. Research limitations/implications – The case study is based on one company only. However, the company performs many trips each day to many different customers. Practical implications – The paper provides insight into the scope for change in the SC decision‐making processes in order to reduce environmental impacts (and identifies limitations). Originality/value – The paper is a contribution to better understanding the importance of logistics decisions and not only transport when considering urban freight problems.