Since 1980, carriers and supply chain managers have been compelled to integrate an emergence concept, applicable to all economic sectors and known as “sustainable development” into their growth strategies. This concept appeared to a large public after the diffusion of the World Commission of Environment and Development’s report (WCED, 1987). In this report, we find the standard definition for sustainable development : “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. When applied to transport, durability involves modifying the present development policies. In this paper, we analyze the emergence of the decoupling concept in European transport policy. Afterwards, we go deeper in our thoughts on sustainable transport system through an approach on distances travelled. How spatial organization of industrial activities ought to evolve so as to move towards a supply chain which will lead to more economical transport services ? Distance is the heart of the problem. Stakes consist of preserving the quality of transport services and maintain the economic growth. The aim is to carry shorter distances or to carry differently. So, our hypothesis supposes a link between productive logics, spatial organization and supply chain. (Author/publisher)
Abstract