The purpose of this dissertation is to explore how life cycle thinking can be applied to road freight transport supply chains and explain some important matters in the management of the sustainable business model of a heavy vehicle manufacturer. The base for this dissertation is a case study within and beyond the international research project in collaboration with road freight transport industry. The purpose is addressed through a compilation of five research papers and a kappa.

The first research paper addresses contextual issues of drivers and conflicts while managing sustainable supply chains in road freight transport industry. The second research paper explores the specific interaction patterns and capabilities within road freight transport supply chains for more sustainable business models. The third research paper brings an overview of the literature in the intersection of sustainable supply chain management and life cycle thinking areas. The fourth research paper questions the employment of life cycle thinking in road freight transport supply chains from a systems perspective. The last research paper analyses the components and structure of a sustainable business model in road freight transport supply chains from a social network perspective.

The contributions of this study are both theoretical and practical. The application of systems theory and social network theory as external and internal lenses contributes to the theoretical development of the sustainable supply chain management field. The growing conceptualization of the sustainable business model, specifically in road freight transport industry, is also addressed in this dissertation. The practical contributions are seen through the empirical example of the adoption of life cycle thinking in road freight transport supply chains.