Design of Green Cold Chain Networks for Imported Fresh Agri-Products in Belt and Road Development

Yan Fang, Yiping Jiang, Lijun Sun and Xingxing Han
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Yan Fang: School of Business, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin 124221, China
Yiping Jiang: Department of Management Engineering, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210031, China
Lijun Sun: Faculty of Management and Economics, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116023, China
Xingxing Han: School of Business, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin 124221, China

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 5, 1-18

Abstract: The development of Belt and Road has seen a boom of imported fresh agri-products in China. This stimulates the growth of refrigerated transport, which accounts for much more carbon emissions than traditional transport. Designing a sustainable cold chain network is of vital importance from both financial and environmental perspectives. In this research, a multi-objective linear programming model is proposed for green cold chain design for multiple imported fresh agri-products in China to balance between the two competing goals—the total cost and carbon emissions. The effect of the outdoor air temperature on the carbon emissions of transportation and maintaining distribution centers is considered. By applying the ε-constraint method, the multi-objective model is solved. Numerical examples derived from the scenario of imported fresh-agri products in China are conducted to shed light on green cold chain design under Belt and Road development.

Keywords: sustainable supply chain design; fresh agri-products; multi-objective programming; carbon emission (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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