An Integrated Model for Freshness, Cost Reduction, and Carbon Footprint Minimization of an Efficient Supply Chain Management for Perishable Goods

There is a rising demand for perishable goods in emerging economies, and managing these creates problems because of the products’ nature. The location inventory routing (LIR) model developed in this paper creates optimal supply chain solutions that capture the product freshness, economic, and carbon cost per subtler. The model utilizes a multi-objective metaheuristic model for cost and emission reduction, as well as the freshness of the delivered product. The practical application of the model is provided based on the use of the Yet Another Linear Matrix Inequality Parser (YALMIP) toolbox, and the obtained results confirm the efficiency of the developed concept. For instance, the application of the model eliminates the need for an additional link in the supply chain, cuts supply chain cost by 15% and carbon footprint by 10% and still ensures product freshness. A sensitivity analysis shows that vehicle speed is crucial since it reduces carbon emissions but increases the cost. Some of the contribution areas of this work are: the construction of an integrated LIR model for perishable products, the application of the model to realistic carrier scenarios, and the determination of factors such as vehicle speed on the LIR supply system. This research provides significant data to drive the selection and utilization of practical techniques for supply chain management for perishable products for businesses in emerging markets desiring sustainable solutions.