The Physical Internet: From Concept to Implementation in Freight and Urban Logistics

Global freight movements account for roughly a third of transport-related CO₂ emissions, with empty running, fragmented networks, and underused assets persisting as structural inefficiencies. The Physical Internet (PI), introduced by Montreuil in 2011, proposes a radical answer: an open, interconnected, and shared logistics system inspired by the data internet, in which modular containers move through standardised hubs guided by open routing protocols. Over the past decade, the concept has matured from a research vision into a recognised policy lever — embedded in the ALICE-ETP Roadmap toward 2040 and supported by EU-funded initiatives such as PLANET, ePIcenter, and ORCHESTRA. Pilots are now running in ports, urban consolidation centres, and intermodal corridors across Europe, Asia, and North America. The field is shifting from “what could PI be?” to “how does PI actually work at scale?”This Research Topic gathers evidence on how the Physical Internet is being operationalised in real freight and urban logistics systems. After a decade of conceptual development, the community needs a consolidated, peer-reviewed record of what has been implemented, what works, what has failed, and what remains theoretical. We aim to bridge the gap between the PI vision and itspractical deployment by inviting empirical, methodological, and critical contributions from researchers, practitioners, and policy actors worldwide. We are particularly interested in work that translates PI principles into measurable performance, sustainability, and resilience outcomes; that examines the governance, business, and regulatory conditions enabling collaboration; and that surfaces the barriers slowing adoption. The collection will support researchers, logistics operators, infrastructure managers, and policymakers in making informed decisions about PI investments,standards, and pilots over the coming decade.We welcome contributions on:• Interconnected logistics architectures• Modular and standardised load units (π-containers)• Open hub and routing protocols• Governance and business models for shared logistics assets• Performance and sustainability assessment; and digital enablers including IoT, blockchain, and AI-based orchestrationBoth freight and urban perspectives are in scope, alongside intermodal corridor studies and last-mile applications. Applications of methods and schemes that promote collaboration and assetsharing for integrating logistics networks are particularly encouraged.We invite Original Research, Methods papers, Systematic and Critical Reviews, Perspective articles, Brief Research Reports, case studies, and policy-oriented commentaries. Simulation, optimisation, empirical pilot evaluations, and mixed-methods studies are all welcome. Cross-disciplinary submissions linking operations research, supply chain management, ICT, urban planning, and policy are especially encouraged. Topic editors: Russell George Thompson, Enna Hirata Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/85843/the-physical-internet-from-concept-to-implementation-in-freight-and-urban-logistics