Chain-Level Business Model Patterns for the Green Logistics Transition

Sustainability transitions in freight transport increasingly depend on coordinated changes across entire logistics networks, not just within individual firms. This study investigates how business-model change unfolds across a multimodal European logistics chain engaged in reducing transport-related emissions. Drawing on 10 semistructured interviews and five multistakeholder workshops, the analysis identifies seven chain-level business-model patterns that structure how value is proposed, created and captured during the green transition. These patterns encompass beyond-compliance decarbonisation commitments, the integration of digital and physical services, fleet-level carbon-attribute allocation, collaborative value sharing practices, risk-sharing arrangements, green-tier service differentiation and cost-balancing mechanisms. Together, they demonstrate that environmental performance improvements emerge not from isolated organisational initiatives but from coordinated, networked business-model configurations grounded in verified emissions data and chain-level alignment. The results highlight the strategic importance of ecosystem collaboration, demonstrating how firms can coshape the transition to climate-neutral logistics through network-level business-model innovation.