Sustainable Strategies to Reduce Logistics Costs Based on Cross-Docking – the Case of Eastern and Central Europe as an Emerging Region

The management of cross-dock (C-D) platforms in Eastern and Central Europe (ECE) faces in-creasing complexity amid persistent uncertainty and inflationary pressures. While artificial intelligence (AI) offers opportunities for innovation, capital costs remain significant, creating challenges for sustainable logistics operations. This study investigates strategies for reducing logistics costs through C-D while maintaining social responsibility standards in emerging markets. Our methodology employs a mixed-method approach incorporating pre-analysis of 33 recent bibliographical sources and quantitative modeling of C-D scenarios. We integrate environmental, social, corporate governance (ESG) and AI analysis using balanced scorecard (BSC) criteria, along-side activity-based costing (ABC) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) implementation for resource management. The study examines three strategic C-D locations: Bratislava, Prague, and Budapest. Results demonstrate that optimized C-D operations achieve cost reductions of 10.61% for ECE inbound logistics and 3.84% for Western European (WE) outbound logistics when utilizing the Budapest location. ABC analysis reveals labor (35-40%), equipment utilization (25-30%), and facility operations (20-25%) as primary cost drivers. The findings confirm that successful C-D in emerging markets require balanced integration of operational efficiency and sustainability practices. This research provides empirical evidence for logistics managers and policymakers, offering a comprehensive framework for implementing sustainable C-D strategies in developing regions.