Purpose: To assess the gaps between the engagements of shippers (logistics buyers) and logistics service providers (LSPs) in different green logistics practices along the key phases of the logistics purchasing process: request for proposal, negotiations, contracting and execution.

Design/methodology/approach: The paper is based on a large scale survey of shippers and LSPs in Sweden. 331 companies (169 shippers; 162 LSPs) have responded. Data were analysed using independent sample T- tests and paired sample T-tests.

Findings: While our findings conform with previous studies asserting that LSPs engage more extensively in green logistics practices than shippers do, we show that such situation is not uniformly applicable to all practices nor all purchasing phases; three patterns emerged that depict the gapsbetween the actors’ engagements along the process: (i) steady and wide gap, (ii) steady and narrow gap, and (iii) emergent gap – each gap is associated with distinct practices.

Research limitations/implications: Contributing to the green logistics purchasing literature by creating three types of distinctions: (i) between shippers and LSPs, (ii) between different green logistics practices, and (iii) between different logistics purchasing phases. The survey covered actors in Sweden only, future studies could replicate the analysis in other countries.

Practical implications: Insights are offered for managers within shipper/LSP firms to help them in spotting the green practices that are least focused upon by their partners, thus enabling them to modify their purchasing/marketing strategies accordingly.

Social implications: Potentially contributing in reducing the carbon footprint of the logistics industry.

Original/value: The three types of distinctions is a novel outset within the contract logistics and green supply chain management bodies of literature.