Managing Environmentally Sustainable Projects in Aviation, Transport, and Logistics

Description

Managing Environmentally Sustainable Projects in Aviation, Transport, and Logistics: Challenges and Evidence-Based Insights

In response to the global mandate to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, the urgency to embed environmental sustainability within project management practice has intensified, particularly in sectors such as aviation, transport, and logistics—industries marked by high environmental impact, tight regulation, and intricate operational structures. Yet, despite widespread organisational pledges, project managers navigating these domains face persistent barriers to integrating sustainability goals into complex, real-world project environments.

This research contributes to the 2025 Research Conference theme “Evidencing Evidence” by interrogating how ‘evidence’ is constructed, interpreted, and applied within sustainable project management across high-risk industries. Employing an interdisciplinary methodology, the study triangulates three evidence sources: (1) a critical review of literature on sustainable project delivery, (2) qualitative insights from industry practitioners, and (3) quantitative data—particularly historical aviation and transport incidents where environmental factors played a contributing role.

Through this multifaceted approach, five core challenges emerge:

1. Fragmented Sustainability Frameworks – A lack of unified definitions and practical guidelines across international borders impedes consistency in environmental project delivery, especially in aviation and maritime logistics.

2. Communication Barriers – Disciplinary silos often result in a disconnect between technical actors (e.g., engineers, data analysts) and managerial stakeholders, weakening the translation of sustainability strategies into operational actions.

3. Regulatory Inconsistencies – Conflicting national and global policies create uncertainty, delay innovation, and dilute accountability across cross-border projects.

4. Insufficient Evidence-Based Tools – Many project managers rely on outdated models due to a lack of integrated, data-informed sustainability planning tools tailored for transport and logistics.

5. Risk Aversion from Historical Failures – Drawing from air crash investigation reports and weather-related disruption data, the study reveals how past events can foster a culture of caution, where innovation is stifled by the fear of liability or reputational damage.

This presentation advocates for a reconceptualisation of what constitutes ‘robust evidence’ in sustainable project management. Instead of relying solely on compliance checklists or sector norms, we argue for a more holistic, dynamic approach that incorporates predictive modelling, case-based learning, and scenario planning informed by past failures. For example, air crash investigations linked to poor environmental forecasting offer actionable lessons for future project risk assessments.

The research also offers policy and practice recommendations, including:
- Development of cross-sector sustainability certification frameworks;
- Use of AI-powered tools for real-time risk forecasting;
- Improved stakeholder engagement models that include community, governmental, and industry voices to shape sustainable outcomes.

By making a case for more interdisciplinary, action-oriented evidence in high-risk projects, this work contributes to debates around knowledge legitimacy, data translation, and cross-sector collaboration. It aligns with the conference’s core aims by showing that evidence must not only be collected—it must be tested, contextualised, and courageously acted upon.

Ultimately, the presentation invites colleagues across disciplines to challenge traditional notions of evidence in sustainability practice and to champion approaches that are adaptive, inclusive, and forward-looking.

Period	25 Jun 2025
Event title	Evidencing Evidence: An Interdisciplinary Approach To The Nature Of Evidence In Research
Event type	Conference