With the world’s largest population and increased rate of growth, China’s economy is faced with a big concern of moving towards more sustainable development initiatives. This paper aimed to evaluate the emerging issues of green logistics in Chinese manufacturing firms. This research used content analysis to review literature from recent journals, magazines and newspapers to draw out secondary data that helped to analyse the drivers of green logistics practices and the challenges faced by Chinese manufacturing firms in implementing them. Material collection, descriptive analysis, category selection and material evaluation steps were used when conducting the analysis. The emerging issues of green logistics in Chinese manufacturing firms were found to be driven by regulatory measures, pressures arising from customers and competitors, and social cultural responsibility. Key barriers to green logistics implementation by these firms were associated with technical factors, organization factors, and financial and human resource constraints. A great deal of potential for green logistics studies is present in China and a proper research funding and infrastructure will aid in the sustainability agenda of this economy. For the Chinese manufacturing companies to cope up with the environmental crises, they need to consider environmental protection issues and integrate these with their operational decisions to create sustainability in their organizations. More co-operations in these firms is also needed with better top managerial support to govern employee’s green behaviour and avail technical resources and learning capabilities within the industry. Although few researchers have studied Green Supply Chain Management in China, this paper is unique in that it evaluates emerging issues of Green Logistics in Chinese Manufacturing firms using a literature review approach.
Keywords: Chinese manufacturing firms, Environment, Green Supply Chain Management, Literature Review, green logistics
