Enhancing economic and environmental sustainability in fruit and vegetable distribution through collaborative digital platforms

Addressing environmental challenges has become increasingly urgent due to the significant impact of carbon emissions on our lives. Among the major contributors to these emissions is the food sector, where logistics plays a pivotal role and represents a key area for intervention. In response, recent literature has begun to explore digital and collaborative logistics solutions as promising alternatives to traditional models. Collaborative digital platforms are analysed but the debate is still in its early stages. This paper aims to contribute to this emerging discussion by first identifying the opportunities and barriers associated with this solution and then assessing its performance impacts. Through a combination of literature review, grey literature analysis, and expert interviews, the study investigates the practical implementation of these innovative solutions. An integrated economic and environmental assessment is then conducted to quantify their associated costs and emissions, providing insights to support informed decision-making. The findings reveal that, while the adoption of collaborative digital platforms remains limited, they have significant potential to deliver win–win outcomes from both economic and environmental standpoints. Indeed, they offer potential to reduce emissions produced and costs, despite the needed initial investments. The paper offers a twofold contribution: academically, by advancing the debate with concrete evidence and proposed pathways; and practically, by encouraging managers to rethink logistics strategies in support of decarbonization. Future research could refine the proposed model or explore its applicability to other sectors.