Diesel-powered trucks handle most container movement between ports and the hinterland, resulting in negative externalities. Using low-emission trucks could reduce the impact of hinterland transport on global warming, but widespread diffusion remains slow. Since ports are central hubs for hinterland transport and focal points in the energy transition, we assess the conditions at ports for accelerating the transition to low-emission trucks. We employ a multi-system transition lens to examine the technology, actor, and institutional couplings between the hinterland transport system and the port energy system, under the regulatory influence of the port authority and EU policies. Drawing on data from a literature review, our findings show that ports offer 9 distinct conditions to accelerate the uptake of low-emission trucks for hinterland transport, including facilitating the diffusion of niche-technologies across systems, coordinating actors involved in energy infrastructure for low-emission trucks, and governing the transition as a focal institutional body in hinterland transport chains. Future research should incorporate primary data from port hinterland transport actors to examine diffusion barriers and deploy simulations to understand the diffusion of low-emission trucks in port hinterlands under different policy scenarios.

The existence of time-bound targets for decarbonization of freight transport raises the need for knowledge of the dynamic behavior of the system. However, little is known about the factors that determine these dynamics, conceptually and empirically. We argue that research is needed to allow substantiated claims about the feasibility of decarbonization policies. We propose a transition theory-inspired framing of the problem, which considers the dynamics of new technologies as alternatives to the established markets, institutions and regulations. We review the relevant freight modeling research literature and develop recommendations for research. While the literature does contain a small set of studies that address the dynamic behavior of the freight system, the relevant phenomena are only partially considered and empirical evidence is scant. We recommend the use of a multi-level dynamic perspective, which includes a long-term view beyond the time horizons considered today. Most importantly, new empirical modeling work is needed to develop valid dynamic models of the relevant decisions taken by all freight transport system stakeholders.

To facilitate the transition toward a circular economy (CE), EU policymakers are drafting new policies and legislations at a high speed. This affects a wide set of sectors and leads to legislative complexity. At the same time, the legislative developments requiring Digital Product Passports (DPPs) offer opportunities for governments to tap into a rich set of business supply chain data for CE and sustainability monitoring. Nevertheless, the diversity of these legislative initiatives leads to complexity for governments on what needs to be monitored. There is a need to reduce legislative complexity, to have a more clear view on what governments need to monitor, which in turn would provide more clarity on the types of business data from the Digital Product Passports and digital infrastructures governments may need to access for CE and sustainability monitoring purposes. One approach to reduce the legislative complexity is to have a framework of high-level concepts for CE and sustainability monitoring. The question, however, is how to arrive at such a framework of high-level concepts. In this paper, we explore the potential of the concepts found in the UN Recommendation 46 (initially developed for the traceability of textiles), to serve as a basis for a generic framework of high-level concepts for CE and sustainability monitoring. We examine the suitability by applying the concepts from UN Recommendation 46 to a variety of legislations beyond textiles. Our analysis suggests that the framework has the potential to serve as a high-level framework of CE and sustainability monitoring concepts across sectors, and we identify several areas for further research.

Blockchain-based systems become increasingly attractive targets for cybercrime due to the rising amount of value transacted in respective systems. However, a comprehensive overview of existing attack vectors and a directive discussion of resulting research opportunities are missing. Employing a structured literature review, we extract and analyze 87 relevant attacks on blockchain-based systems and assign them to common attack vectors. We subsequently derive a research framework and agenda for information systems research on the cybersecurity of blockchain-based systems. We structure our framework along the users, developers, and attackers of both blockchain applications and blockchain infrastructure, highlighting the reciprocal relationships between these entities. Our results show that especially socio-technical aspects of blockchain cybersecurity are underrepresented in research and require further attention.