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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2023) | Viewed by 27439

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jianghang Chen

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Guest Editor

International Business School Suzhou, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou 215123, China
Interests: decision-support systems; supply chain management; logistics and transportation; optimization and simulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Jie Chu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

International Business School Suzhou, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou 215123, China
Interests: production and inventory management; Stochastic programming/robust optimization; close-loop supply chain

Dr. Jianxin Fang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

International Business School Suzhou, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou 215123, China
Interests: integrated production and inventory; stochastic modelling of manufactruing & service systems; scheduling problems

Dr. Yiping Jiang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

College of information management, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210031, China
Interests: agricultural products logistics and supply chain management; data driven system optimization and decision-making; agricultural data analysis and information technology; agriculture related e-commerce and information management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

To reduce climate change, severe environmental degradation and social poverty and inequality, an increasing number of governments and companies are pledging to support carbon neutrality and sustainable development. Evidently, sustainability is playing a vital role in today's society and is constantly urging businesses to transform and evolve in order to adapt to a more dynamic business world with stringent environmental and social legislation and policies. Such a pro-sustainability trend has created pressing challenges for many industry sectors, such as the field of logistics and supply chain management (SCM). For instance, the European Union has proposed an effective ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035. The phaseout of diesel engine vehicles is sure to influence logistics companies' service capacity and network planning in Europe. Another compelling observation is that a rising number of multinational corporations have pledged to only work with suppliers that adhere to social and environmental standards. As a result, many organizations in the logistics and supply chain sector have realized the importance of sustainability and have started to seek solutions through innovative exploration such as by creating new business models (such as shared economy and resource pooling), implementing emerging technologies (such as big data, artificial intelligence, data-driven information technologies and new energy technologies), and experimenting with high-level system integration and/or interdisciplinary approaches (such as combining finance and supply chains and the integrated planning of both vehicle routing and warehouse management in logistics).

The aim of this Special Issue is to discuss and explore types of innovative approaches that could be utilized to enhance logistics and supply chain organizations' sustainable capability and to what extent these innovations could enable organizations to reduce risks and gain profits in the long run. Researchers are invited to contribute their perspectives on how the triple bottom lines (economy, society and environment) may be considered in logistics and SCM using creative business models, appropriate framework, mathematical model, and case and empirical studies. Suggested topics are as follows (but not limited to):

Innovative business models for sustainable logistics and SCM;
Emerging technology’s application to achieve sustainability in logistics and SCM;
Green and sustainable technology’s measurement and assessment;
Sustainable agriculture logistics and SCM;
Sustainability-related case studies on E-commerce/E-logistics;
Modeling and optimization of sustainable manufacturing systems;
Green product and process design in a sustainable supply chain;
Sustainable operations in production and inventory management;
Key drivers to sustainability in supply chains: theoretical methods and case studies;
Interdisciplinary approaches to promote sustainable development in logistics and SCM;
Integrated planning and scheduling for complex logistics systems with the aim of sustainability.

We also welcome other relevant topics from potential contributors.

Dr. Jianghang Chen
Dr. Jie Chu
Dr. Jianxin Fang
Dr. Yiping Jiang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

sustainability
innovative technologies
logistics
supply chain management
business models
mathematical modeling
case and empirical studies

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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24 pages, 2409 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Designing the Location–Routing Problem for a Cold Supply Chain Considering the COVID-19 Disaster

by Sina Abbasi, Maryam Moosivand, Ilias Vlachos and Mohammad Talooni

Sustainability 2023, 15(21), 15490; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115490 - 31 Oct 2023

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2018

Abstract

In this study, a location routing problem (LRP) model was considered for the distribution network of multiple perishable food items in a cold supply chain (CSC) where vehicles can refuel at gas stations during light of the COVID-19 disaster. Fuel consumption is assumed to vary depending on the cargo transported between nodes when using a non-standard fuel fleet. The problem was formulated as a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model to reduce the production of carbon dioxide (CO₂). The model was validated using several numerical examples which were solved using the software, LINGO 17.0. The results show that fuel consumption could be reduced in this case. Due to the complexity of the problem, genetically simulated annealing algorithms were developed to solve the actual size problems, and their performance was also evaluated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Innovation in Logistics and Supply Chain Management)

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14 pages, 2011 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Agricultural Products’ Bundled Pricing Based on Consumers’ Organic Preferences

by Xijia Liu, Xiaoshu Liu, Anna Shi and Chenwei Li

Sustainability 2023, 15(17), 13256; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151713256 - 4 Sep 2023

Viewed by 1494

Abstract

To improve the market competitiveness of agricultural e-retailers, we offer an interactive bundle pricing strategy (IBPS). Compared to existing fixed bundling strategies, IBPS takes into account the variability of customer needs and provides consumers with more and more flexible choice opportunities. As more and more consumers tend to buy more environmentally friendly and healthy organic produce, a hybrid bundle pricing model for organic and inorganic produce is developed with the goal of maximizing retailers’ profit and optimizing consumers’ surplus, taking into account consumers’ organic preferences. Meanwhile, we introduce a free shipping strategy to further stimulate consumption. Then, we propose a heuristic algorithm to solve it and derive the optimal price for various bundled packages. Through numerical analysis, we draw some conclusions and propose corresponding management insights: (1) Compared with traditional online retailing methods, IBPS can effectively stimulate consumption and increase retailers’ profits; (2) as the free shipping threshold increases, total profits show a trend of first increasing and then decreasing, indicating that an appropriate free shipping threshold can optimize retailers’ profits; (3) as consumers’ green preferences increase, the sales of organic products increase while the total profit rises, so it is suggested that retailers increase consumer green preference through appropriate advertising; (4) the higher the consumption level, the higher the total value of consumers’ word purchases, so retailers can appropriately increase the free shipping threshold at high consumption levels. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Innovation in Logistics and Supply Chain Management)

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21 pages, 1103 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Strategic Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Supply Chain Innovation from the Perspective of Collaborative Advantage

by Benlu Xin, Wentao Zhang, Wei Zhang, Catherine Xiaocui Lou and Himanshu Kumar Shee

Sustainability 2023, 15(17), 12879; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712879 - 25 Aug 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2121

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the mechanisms by which firms’ strategic entrepreneurship (SE) impacts the achievement of their collaborative advantage (CA) for sustainable supply chain innovation. It includes a comprehensive analysis of the direct effect of SE on CA, the contingent effects of organizational structure and collaborative networks on this impact and the interaction effect of exploration and exploitation strategies under SE. An integrated conceptual model is proposed and the hypotheses are tested by structural equation modeling (SEM) using survey data from 432 manufacturing firms in China. The results confirm the positive impact of SE on CA, which is moderated differently by decentralized, formalized and specialized organizational structures. Meanwhile, vertical and horizontal collaborations lead to different types of advantages, and firms need to balance exploration and exploitation strategies across functional domains to achieve strategic ambidexterity, which further improves CA and facilitates sustainable supply chain innovation. Theoretically, this study is original in applying SE to the collaborative advantage in a supply chain context, while taking into account the high complexity of supply chain collaboration with a contingency approach. Practically, this study provides important managerial implications and specific recommendations for different firms to achieve sustainability in supply chain collaboration and innovation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Innovation in Logistics and Supply Chain Management)

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24 pages, 5893 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on Evolutionary Game and Simulation of Information Sharing in Prefabricated Building Supply Chain

by Rumeng Zhang and Lihong Li

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 9885; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15139885 - 21 Jun 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1688

Abstract

Enterprises in the prefabricated building supply chain (PBSC) only share information according to their interests, which is bound to cause conflicts of interest and reduce the efficiency of supply chain operations. To promote information sharing (IS) in PBSC, it is necessary to construct an evolutionary game model that fits the realistic network. In this paper, based on the integration of existing research, 13 influencing factors of IS in PBSC are analyzed comprehensively from the perspective of information ecology theory. In addition, due to the complexity and uncertainty of the PBSC, enterprise interaction and supply chain network structure affect the IS decision. Therefore, this paper builds an evolutionary game model of IS in PBSC under a scale-free network, and conducts numerical simulation analysis with MATLAB 2017 software to analyze the evolution law of enterprise IS under different situations. The results show that (1) when the network scale is large, the density of information sharers generally increases, and the speed of network evolution to a steady state generally slows down; (2) eight factors can promote the increase in information sharers’ density, and five factors can inhibit it, but factors have no significant effect on the speed of network evolution to reach the steady state. Based on the simulation results, this paper proposes countermeasures and suggestions such as strengthening the support of the policy environment and social environment, setting up the demonstration benchmark of leading construction enterprises, establishing a directional information resource database, and improving information technologies and risk management systems to provide the scientific basis for government supervision and enterprise decision making. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Innovation in Logistics and Supply Chain Management)

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21 pages, 1554 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimization of Green Containerized Grain Supply Chain Transportation Problem in Ukraine Considering Disruption Scenarios

by Jingwen Li, Ke Jing, Myroslav Khimich and Lixin Shen

Sustainability 2023, 15(9), 7620; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097620 - 5 May 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2263

Abstract

Grain supply chain transportation problem is a nontrivial and intractable issue for many developing countries. Grain as a bulk commodity is usually transported by bulk carriers. By taking into account the special condition of Ukraine, we proposed the containerized grain supply chain transportation optimization problem. In this problem, the sustainable supply chain system delivers grains in containers among primary elevators, intermodal yards, and port container terminals. Then, a containerized grain transportation model was developed to minimize the total cost of the sustainable supply chain system. Specifically, 20-foot containers were proven as more reasonable to be used in this paper. We also considered different transportation tools: trucks that can load one 20-foot container, trailers that can load two 20-foot containers, and wagons that can hold two 20-foot containers. Additionally, a disruption model was proposed by considering different disruption scenarios. Based on an analysis of the simulation results, some cost minimization strategies were proposed. Finally, a sensitivity analysis that aimed to analyze the effect of the proposed strategies on the minimal total cost and sustainability of the supply chain was conducted. The main conclusions drawn from the simulation are that the established food supply chain model is meaningful and accurate, and the incorporation of the disruption model aligns with practical requirements. Additionally, an increase in intermodal yard capacity, truck park size, and wagon park size decreases the total cost of the supply chain. The first two have a positive effect on the sustainability of the supply chain, while the latter increases the disruption risk of the supply chain. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Innovation in Logistics and Supply Chain Management)

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15 pages, 1861 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Plastic Management and Sustainability: A Data-Driven Study

by Nesreen El-Rayes, Aichih (Jasmine) Chang and Jim Shi

Sustainability 2023, 15(9), 7181; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097181 - 25 Apr 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3254

Abstract

The world is experiencing a rapidly increasing plastic production and consumption trend. The exacerbating plastic crisis has attracted various initiatives and actions across numerous organizations to foster stakeholder collaboration. In particular, academic researchers have paid considerable attention to the inherent supply chain sustainability. This study aims to (1) examine the status quo of plastic management research and provide recommendations and directions gleaned from the literature survey using text mining; and (2) perform descriptive and predictive analysis based on datasets collected from governmental, public, private, and not-for-profit institutions in the United States between 2016 and 2021 to quantify the size and severity of the crisis on various levels. Echoing the same global plastic production trend, our study reveals that the plastic debris that ends up in the ocean is growing exponentially, and global plastic production is expected to fluctuate between 500 and 600 million metric tons by 2025. From a research perspective, there is a remarkable shortage of publications empowering Blockchain technology (BCT) to address the plastic crisis. Little research is related to scaling up the plastic waste collection and re-thinking or re-designing products. There is no significant connection between ‘re-purpose’ and ‘innovation’. The industry and not-for-profit organizations are typically the forerunners of the campaign compared to academia in terms of investigating the adoption of technology to address the plastic crisis. This study features rich data-driven results and interpretation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Innovation in Logistics and Supply Chain Management)

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18 pages, 4488 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Integrated Optimization of Order Allocation and Last-Mile Multi-Temperature Joint Distribution for Fresh Agriproduct Community Retail

by Yajun Zhan and Yiping Jiang

Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9790; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159790 - 8 Aug 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2717

Abstract

Community retail is an important research issue in the field of fresh agriproduct e-commerce. This paper focuses on the problem of last-mile multi-temperature joint distribution (MTJD), which combines time coupling, order allocation, and vehicle scheduling. Firstly, according to the temperature of a refrigerated truck in multi-temperature zones, a split-order packing decision is proposed to integrate the different types of fresh agriproduct. Then, the order allocation strategy is incorporated into a comprehensive picking and distribution schedule, while taking into account the time-coupling of picking, distribution, and delivery time limit. To improve consumer satisfaction and reduce order fulfillment costs, an optimization model combining multi-item order allocation and vehicle scheduling is established, to determine the optimal order allocation scheme and distribution route. Finally, taking fresh agriproduct community retail in the Gulou District of Nanjing as an example, the effectiveness and feasibility of the model are illustrated. The numerical results of medium- to large-scale examples show that, compared with the variable neighborhood search algorithm (VNS) and genetic algorithm (GA), the mixed genetic algorithm (MGA) can save 29% of CPU time and 65% of iterations. This study considers the integrated optimization of multiple links, to provide scientific decision support for fresh agriproduct e-commerce enterprises. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Innovation in Logistics and Supply Chain Management)

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Review

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44 pages, 2583 KiB

Open AccessReview

Problems and Solution Methods of Machine Scheduling in Semiconductor Manufacturing Operations: A Survey

by Jianxin Fang, Brenda Cheang and Andrew Lim

Sustainability 2023, 15(17), 13012; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151713012 - 29 Aug 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2617

Abstract

Machine scheduling problems associated with semiconductor manufacturing operations (SMOs) are one of the major research topics in the scheduling literature. Lots of papers have dealt with different variants of SMOs’ scheduling problems, which are generally difficult to tackle theoretically and computationally. In this paper, the single machine, parallel machines, flow shops, and job shops scheduling problems from SMOs have been reviewed, based on different processing constraints, e.g., batch processing, auxiliary resources, incompatible job families, and reentrant flow, etc., with the cycle time, flow time, and throughput-related performance measures. Given the vast and diverse nature of the current literature, it is urgently needed to make a systematic survey in order to identify the important research problems, research trends, and the progress of the related solution methods, as well as clarify future research perspectives. We hope the findings and observations could provide some insights to the researchers and practitioners in this domain. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Innovation in Logistics and Supply Chain Management)

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Other

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16 pages, 1154 KiB

Open AccessSystematic Review

Blockchain Adoption in the Wine Supply Chain: A Systematic Literature Review

by Bojana Malisic, Nemanja Misic, Srdjan Krco, Aleksandra Martinovic, Sandra Tinaj and Tomo Popovic

Sustainability 2023, 15(19), 14408; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914408 - 30 Sep 2023

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3862

Abstract

Blockchain offers decentralized, trustworthy and immutable data storage based on distributed ledger technology. Blockchain technology is recognized as an innovation enabler in many areas, with the food supply chain being one of them. This paper provides a systematic literature review of the current state of adoption of blockchain technology in the agri-food sector, specifically with a focus on the wine supply chain. Blockchain has the potential to improve the traceability and authenticity of the data provenance of wine products, increase consumer trust, and reduce fraud and errors. With these goals in mind, this study identifies the main research questions pertinent to the value proposition and competitive advantage of blockchain technology in the wine value chain and key players involved in the authentication and value chain recording. The PRISMA methodology was adopted to identify, screen and select only the relevant studies that were included in the analysis. This study also addresses the limitations and challenges for adoption, such as high implementation cost and lack of competences, and the need for standardized protocols and regulations. Finally, this systematic literature review includes an analysis of reports of blockchain applications in the wine sector and outlines the recommendations for future research to further explore the potential of blockchain-based solutions that could benefit all stakeholders across the wine value chain. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Innovation in Logistics and Supply Chain Management)

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22 pages, 1091 KiB

Open AccessConcept Paper

Solving the Green Open Vehicle Routing Problem Using a Membrane-Inspired Hybrid Algorithm

by Yunyun Niu, Zehua Yang, Rong Wen, Jianhua Xiao and Shuai Zhang

Sustainability 2022, 14(14), 8661; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148661 - 15 Jul 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1801

Abstract

The green open vehicle routing problem with time windows has been widely studied to plan routes with minimal emissions in third-party logistics. Due to the NP-hardness, the performance of the general heuristics significantly degrades when dealing with large-scale instances. In this paper, we propose a membrane-inspired hybrid algorithm to solve the problem. The proposed algorithm has a three-level structure of cell-like nested membranes, where tabu search, genetic operators, and neighbourhood search are incorporated. In particular, the elementary membranes (level-3) provide extra attractors to the tabu search in their adjacent level-2 membranes. The genetic algorithm in the skin membrane (level-1) is designed to retain the desirable gene segments of tentative solutions, especially using its crossover operator. The tabu search in the level-2 membranes helps the genetic algorithm circumvent the local optimum. Two sets of real-life instances, one of a Chinese logistics company, Jingdong, and the other of Beijing city, are tested to evaluate our method. The experimental results reveal that the proposed algorithm is considerably superior to the baselines for solving the large-scale green open vehicle routing problem with time windows. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Innovation in Logistics and Supply Chain Management)

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