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Operations Research in the Sustainable Transport and Logistics

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 11731

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Xiangfeng Ji

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Guest Editor

Department of Management Science and Engineering, School of Business, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
Interests: econometrics; sustainability management; data analysis; operations management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Xuemei Zhou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

College of Transportation Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 201804, China
Interests: public transport analysis; intelligent transportation systems; multimodal transport

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Operation research (OR) tools have become ubiquitous in transport and logistics system analysis. They permeate all kinds of daily activity processes and the provision of services. Innovative models based on the classical ones and modern practice have been developed, and novel application cases have emerged that would have been unthinkable not too long ago. This trend is irreversible, and reliance on OR tools is predicted to accelerate in these areas in the following years.

In recent years, carbon neutrality has attracted interest from academia and various industries. Transport and logistics industries represent the main carbon emission producers, and thus the reduction in carbon emissions in these areas is critical for sustainable development. Moreover, it is believed that OR tools could play a significant role in this reduction.

For this Special Issue on OR for sustainable transport and logistics, we are inviting research that provides decision markers with a better understanding of OR tools’ role in sustainable performance. Technical papers, state-of-the-art reviews, and short notes will all be considered and should relate to the sustainability of these two areas. In this Special Issue, original high-quality papers, both theoretical and empirical, considering related research areas are welcome. Interdisciplinary studies are also highly encouraged. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

Innovative theoretical modeling;
Free-lancing analysis;
FinTech application in low-carbon analysis;
Data-driven decision making;
Optimization under uncertainty;
Big data analysis with machine learning tools;
Intelligent tools for low-carbon management.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Xiangfeng Ji
Prof. Dr. Xuemei Zhou
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.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

transport and logistics system modeling and analysis
multimodal system
optimization under uncertainty
data analysis
sustainable management

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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34 pages, 14743 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Optimal Remanufacturing Strategy of the Closed-Loop Supply Chain Network under Government Regulation and the Manufacturer’s Design for the Environment

by Yan Zhou, Miao Hou and Kar-Hung Wong

Sustainability 2023, 15(9), 7342; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097342 - 28 Apr 2023

Viewed by 943

Abstract

To solve the problem of global warming and resources crisis, we adopt two remanufacturing strategies, denoted ‘In-House Remanufacturing Strategy’ and ‘Outsourcing Remanufacturing Strategy,’ respectively, for recycling and reusing waste products. However, to study the optimal remanufacturing strategy of a closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) network under government regulations and the manufacturer’s design for the environment, we use variational inequality to construct a CLSC network equilibrium model based on these two strategies. By using a comparative analysis of the decision-makers’ profits, carbon emissions, and carbon taxes, we show how the decision-makers should choose the optimal remanufacturing strategies under different government regulations and the manufacturer’s levels of design for the environment. The findings of the study show that the manufacturer’s design for the environment is conducive to resource recovery and promotes the development of remanufacturing activities. When manufacturers’ levels of design for the environment are high, although manufacturers will adopt the outsourcing remanufacturing strategy to obtain high profits, they will lose environmental benefits. The findings also show that the new product handling fee policy in government regulations can promote energy conservation and emission reduction, and the reproduction subsidy policy can encourage product remanufacturing. Moreover, when the government’s subsidy for remanufactured products increases to a threshold, it will prompt manufacturers to adopt the outsourcing remanufacturing strategy; and the remanufacturing subsidy threshold is negatively correlated with the manufacturer’s levels of design for the environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Operations Research in the Sustainable Transport and Logistics)

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18 pages, 1911 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimizing Multi-Vehicle Demand-Responsive Bus Dispatching: A Real-Time Reservation-Based Approach

by Xuemei Zhou, Guohui Wei, Yunbo Zhang, Qianlin Wang and Huanwu Guo

Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 5909; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15075909 - 29 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1560

Abstract

The demand-responsive public transport system with multi-vehicles has the potential to efficiently meet real-time and high-volume transportation needs through effective scheduling. This paper focuses on studying the real-time vehicle scheduling problem, which involves dispatching and controlling different model vehicles uniformly based on generated vehicle number tasks at a given point in time. By considering the immediacy of real-time itinerary tasks, this paper optimizes the vehicle scheduling problem at a single time point. The objective function is to minimize the total operating cost of the system while satisfying constraints such as passenger capacity and vehicle transfer time. To achieve this, a vehicle scheduling optimization model is constructed, and a solution approach is proposed by integrating bipartite graph optimal matching theory and the Kuhn–Munkres algorithm. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated by comparing it with a traditional greedy algorithm using the same calculation example. The results show that the optimization method has higher solution efficiency and can generate a scheduling scheme that effectively reduces operating costs, improves transportation efficiency, and optimizes the operation organization process for demand-responsive buses. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Operations Research in the Sustainable Transport and Logistics)

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18 pages, 683 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dynamic and Static Analysis of Carbon Emission Efficiency in China’s Transportation Sector

by Benchang Chen, Xiangfeng Ji and Xiangyan Ji

Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1508; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021508 - 12 Jan 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1092

Abstract

As the main undesirable output of the transportation sector, carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission is the key point to achieving carbon balance in the whole sector. In this paper, the bounded adjustment measure (BAM) data envelopment analysis method is used to measure the total factor production (TFP) efficiency of transportation system and the source of its inefficiency. Based on this, we use the global Malmquist index combined with the BAM to analyze the key factors of environmental productivity change from 2004 to 2019 in terms of dynamic changes in technology level, production scale and management efficiency. The results show that the main reasons for the low efficiency of carbon emission production in China’s transportation sector are unreasonable energy utilization, excess labor resources and excessive CO₂ emission caused by low technology level. Further analysis shows that China’s overall environmental production efficiency has begun to show a slow rising trend. Improvement of management level is the biggest driving force for the growth of total factor productivity of China’s transportation sector, while the improvement of scale and technology should be strengthened for the improvement of overall production efficiency. There are spatial differences in the production efficiency of China’s transportation sector. In the future, different provinces should focus on improving the production efficiency of transport industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Operations Research in the Sustainable Transport and Logistics)

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17 pages, 1346 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Does Cross-Border Logistics Performance Contribute to Export Competitiveness? Evidence from China Based on the Iceberg Transport Cost Model

by Ting Ding, Wenzhong Zhu and Ming Zhao

Sustainability 2023, 15(1), 490; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010490 - 28 Dec 2022

Viewed by 2283

Abstract

This paper investigates the economic relationship between logistics performance and export competitiveness based on the iceberg transport cost model and conducts further empirical analysis according to China’s LPI. It finds that the higher the efficiency of logistics and transport, the lower the transportation costs coefficient per unit distance; when logistics and transportation costs decrease, foreign demand for domestic goods increases, as does the export value expressed in domestic prices. Additionally, Spearman’s rank correlation method is used to analyze the relationship between logistics performance index and export level, indicating that logistics performance index has a positive rank correlation with the export level at a significant level of 1%. Moreover, a case study on China’ LPI supports the conclusion derived from the theoretical analysis, and conducive countermeasures are put forward. This research confirms the positive correlation between logistics performance and export competitiveness and proposes specific solutions to enhancing the logistics capabilities of other developing countries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Operations Research in the Sustainable Transport and Logistics)

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23 pages, 4431 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Government Subsidy Policy and Online Selling Strategy in a Platform Supply Chain with Green R&D and DDM Activities

by Zongyu Mu, Qiujie Li, Gengxin Dai, Ke Li, Guangming Zhang and Fan Zhang

Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9658; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159658 - 05 Aug 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1700

Abstract

Many governments actively subsidize the green activities of manufacturers and consumers to effectively realize the achievement of carbon emissions peak and carbon-neutral goals, while the development of a platform economy can effectively contribute to sustainable development. Therefore, we have modeled a platform supply chain using game theory, in which the manufacturer conducts green research and development (R&D) activities, the third-party platform conducts data-driven marketing (DDM) activities to promote green products, and all consumers have green preferences. The numerical example and empirical analysis methods are used to mine management insights. The government subsidizes the manufacturer’s green R&D, the third-party platform’s DDM, and the consumers’ green consumption. The third-party platform provides an agency selling or reselling strategy to sell products. Our results show that: (1) the sensitivity coefficient of consumers to green R&D and DDM activities has positive impacts on all members’ profits and on the green R&D level of products in the platform supply chain, with three kinds of government subsidy policies. (2) The levels of the three kinds of government subsidies mainly have an impact on all members’ profits and on the green R&D level of products in the platform supply chain with an agency selling or reselling strategy; government subsidies to the manufacturer are more conducive to improving the green R&D level of products. (3) The levels of the three government subsidies and the unit service commissioning fee for selling products are the main factors affecting the preferred selling strategy of each member and the equilibrium of the selling strategy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Operations Research in the Sustainable Transport and Logistics)

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19 pages, 2449 KiB

Open AccessSystematic Review

A Systematic Review on Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) Emission Measurement Methods under PRISMA Guidelines: Transportation Sustainability and Development Programs

by Muhammad Zubair, Shuyan Chen, Yongfeng Ma and Xiaojian Hu

Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 4817; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15064817 - 08 Mar 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3386

Abstract

In the effort to urgently develop new and improved methodologies to compute and assess CO₂ emissions from transportation, results have been less than ideal; this article provides a review of the methodologies currently available. When it comes to the discharge of harmful gases into the air, transportation is the biggest offender. Methods are still being developed to calculate and analyze the transportation sector’s carbon footprint, despite the fact that the need to limit the emission of gases that contribute to global warming has now become urgent. Previous studies have calculated the carbon footprint of transportation; however, there are some discrepancies in the terminology and methodologies utilized. The commonalities between CO₂ emission measurement techniques and assessment techniques are the primary subject of this review. This study helps to increase public awareness of environmental concerns and promotes the use of reliable methodologies for calculating transportation-related CO₂ emissions. It is hoped that choosing the optimal available method will contribute to a decrease in CO₂ emissions from transportation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Operations Research in the Sustainable Transport and Logistics)

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