Will environmental logistics be promoted by changing industrial structure? A quantitative analysis from 1978 to 2007 in China

Purpose – With the function of reconstructing and promoting traditional industries in China, logistic service industry (LSI) still consumes a great deal of energy. The purpose of this paper is to empirically analyse the relationship between energy consumption of logistics and its influential factors in China, and through this, identify the most important factor and give a significant research of this factor afterwards. Design/methodology/approach – Using a quantitative analysis of the industry composition of energy consumption and the structure of energy consumption in LSI, the serious condition of China's energy conservation of LSI was found. Correlated analysis and co‐integration analysis were adopted to identify how these factors affected the energy conservation of LSI and how to construct environmental logistics in China. Findings – The paper found mileage traveled by train is the most important factor of energy consumption in LSI, while traveling miles of highway is the second. The former was negative correlation with the total of energy consumption while the latter was positive correlation. Research limitations/implications – Because of the deficiency of data in China, this research is based on the data of 30 years, which is not testified as long enough for this research. This would indicate that the conclusions of this paper are approximate values. A closer look should be taken at the effectiveness of some of the other factors suggested in the previous research on this topic. Practical implications – The paper outlines ways to effectively construct environmental logistics in China which would promote the energy conservation and sustainable development of this country. Since the total consumption of energy in China accounts for a certain proportion of the world, this will benefit other countries as well. Originality/value – This paper is one of the first of its kind to develop and empirically analyze the relationship between energy consumption of LSI and its influential factors in China. It uniquely contributes towards helping us find approaches to constructing China's environmental logistics and will have far‐reaching implications for other developing countries.