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Systems Approaches in Sustainable Logistics and Supply Chain Management

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A special issue of Systems (ISSN 2079-8954). This special issue belongs to the section "Supply Chain Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 15091

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Anjali Awasthi

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Guest Editor

Department of Information System and Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, QC H3G 1M8, Canada
Interests: modeling and simulation; data mining; information technology and decision making; sustainable logistics planning; quality assurance in supply chain management; sustainable supply chain management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Sudhanshu Joshi

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Guest Editor

PM Gati Shakti Centre of Excellence in Logistics and Supply Chain Management (CoE-LSCM), School of Management, Doon University, Dehradun 248001, India
Interests: sustainable supply chain management; logistics management; intelligent systems; digital technologies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainability in supply chains and logistics is vital to ensure economic, environmental, and social viability in the modern era. In this Special Issue, we aim for methodological approaches, practical applications, and reviews of literature-oriented studies in the area of sustainable supply chains and logistics from a systems perspective. A systems approach enables a holistic understanding of the critical issues underlying complex, new, and unstructured supply chain and logistics problems, how various system elements influence each other and their environment, scenario planning, and the development of win–win solutions for the involved stakeholders. Examples of these approaches are system dynamics, systems of systems, cognitive mapping, influence diagrams, etc. Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

Green product development.
Green sourcing.
Sustainable material management.
Green network design.
Collaboration planning.
Sustainable facility location.
Green fuel selection.
Sustainable inventory management.
Demand management.
Sustainable supply chain contracts.
Sustainable transportation planning.
Reverse logistics and circular economy.
Digitalization of supply chains.
Sustainable manufacturing.
Risk management.
Global supply chains.
Quality management.
Sustainable policy planning.
Customer relationship management.

Prof. Dr. Anjali Awasthi
Dr. Sudhanshu Joshi
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Systems is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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

concept mapping
complex adaptive systems
cognitive mapping
agent based modeling
system dynamics modeling
group model building
causal loop diagrams
network analysis
qualitative comparative analysis
system of systems
bayesian belief networks
influence diagrams
sustainable supply chain management
sustainable logistics
circular economy
green supply chains
digital technologies in logistics
resilient supply chains
system dynamics modeling

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 527 KB

Open AccessArticle

Utilizing Autonomous Vehicles to Reduce Truck Turn Time in Ports with Application for Port of Montréal

by Mina Nikdast and Anjali Awasthi

Systems 2025, 13(11), 1031; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems13111031 - 18 Nov 2025

Viewed by 860

Abstract

Port congestion, particularly excessive truck turn time (TTT), disrupts supply chains, increases costs, and contributes to environmental impacts. This study evaluates the potential of integrating autonomous vehicles (AVs) into port operations to reduce TTT, using the Port of Montreal’s Viau Terminal as a case study. A discrete event simulation (DES) with agent-based logic was developed to model landside processes, including gate, yard, and staging operations, while differentiating between human-driven vehicles (HDVs) and AVs. Four scenarios were tested: Baseline indicating current operations, Truck Appointment System (TAS), partial AV integration (35% AVs) with shared resources, and AVs with dedicated staging areas and cranes. Model inputs were informed by port publicly available data and validated against observed TTT metrics. Results show that TAS reduced average TTT from 88.2 to 78.37 min; partial AV integration lowered it further to 55.91 min, with AVs averaging 45.33 min; dedicated AV infrastructure yielded the lowest AV TTT (32.86 min) but slightly increased overall TTT due to HDV delays. Findings suggest that combining AV adoption with demand management and targeted infrastructure investments can substantially improve efficiency. The study offers quantitative evidence and strategic recommendations to support port authorities in planning for automation while ensuring balanced resource allocation. Full article

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

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26 pages, 1497 KB

Open AccessArticle

How Competing Retailers Invest in ESG: Strategic Behavior Under Heterogeneous Consumer Preferences

by Yumei Jiang and Wanda Ge

Systems 2025, 13(11), 1028; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems13111028 - 17 Nov 2025

Viewed by 387

Abstract

As environmental and social sustainability become an increasingly critical concern, retailers are under rising pressure from both eco-conscious consumers and evolving regulatory frameworks to enhance the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance of their supply chains. Given that most ESG-related violations originate from upstream suppliers, downstream retailers are compelled to invest in promoting responsible practices beyond their immediate operations. To capture this dynamic, we develop a two-tier supply chain model in which a single supplier distributes products to multiple retailers engaged in Cournot competition. Each retailer independently determines its level of investment aimed at improving the supplier’s ESG outcomes while accounting for heterogeneous consumer preferences between supplier-driven and retailer-driven sustainability efforts. Our findings reveal that retailers are only incentivized to invest when the number of market participants falls below a critical threshold. We further extend the analysis to an asymmetric setting, where only a subset of retailers engage in ESG investments and pay a premium wholesale price. In contrast to the baseline scenario, this structure may encourage higher investment levels among participating retailers when more of them are involved. Moreover, under conditions of strong consumer preference heterogeneity, a larger number of investing retailers can incentivize the supplier to reduce the wholesale price, thereby reinforcing investment incentives and facilitating improved ESG performance across the supply chain. In summary, the results provide valuable managerial implications for retailers, suppliers, and policymakers seeking to foster coordinated and sustainable ESG investment within supply chains. Full article

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

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23 pages, 1748 KB

Open AccessArticle

System Dynamics Modeling and Multicriteria Analysis Methods for Selecting Scenarios in a Harness Assembling Plant

by Javier R. Lugo-Niebla, Ernesto A. Lagarda-Leyva, María Paz Guadalupe Acosta-Quintana, Javier Portugal-Vásquez, Arnulfo A. Naranjo-Flores and Alfredo Bueno-Solano

Systems 2025, 13(11), 936; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems13110936 - 22 Oct 2025

Viewed by 712

Abstract

The global automotive industry faces significant challenges with respect to its supply chain, particularly component scarcity and the increasing complexity of modern vehicles, which have severely impacted the production of high-tech harnesses. This study addresses the issues faced by a leading automotive harness manufacturing company in Ciudad Obregón, Mexico (an international company that requested confidentiality), which has suffered considerable economic losses (over USD 2870) and production downtime due to component scarcity and delivery delays in component deliveries, affecting “Crew Grande” harness production. This proposal aims to develop a technological solution with a graphical interface to support decision-making in the face of this scarcity. The methodology employed system dynamics to model the supply chain’s complexity, using software such as Stella^® Architect for Forrester diagrams and equations and Vensim^® PLE for causal diagrams. The model was validated with a relative error, confirming its reliability. Multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) was performed using the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and Faire Un Choix Adequate (FUCA) methods to evaluate 15 scenarios (normal, pessimistic, and optimistic), identifying the four most favorable scenarios for optimizing operational performance. The results demonstrate these solutions’ potential to mitigate losses, improve operational efficiency, and strengthen the company’s position against market and demand fluctuations, especially for its main client, Ford Motor Company, using a graphical user interface (GUI) to support analysis and decision-making. Full article

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

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15 pages, 472 KB

Open AccessCommunication

Mathematical Methods for Inventory Management in Dynamic Supply Chains

by Yasser A. Davizón, Carlos Hernández-Santos, Nain de la Cruz, Roxana Garcia-Andrade, Arnoldo Fernández Ramirez, Amadeo Hernández, Francisco Fabián Tobías-Macías, Ernesto Rincón, Armando-Martínez Reyes and Eric D. Smith

Systems 2025, 13(10), 909; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems13100909 - 17 Oct 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1383

Abstract

This research communication aims to present three mathematical methods for analyzing inventory management in dynamic supply chains, starting from the basic definition in differential equations for inventory levels, which relates with production and demand rates. Initially, the study adopts a systemic perspective to examine the role of energy within a production–inventory system. Subsequently, the analysis focuses on inventory dynamics under parameters expressed in complex variables, with the aim of quantifying fluctuations in a generic production system and demonstrating the influence of inventory variation rates on system behavior. Finally, the investigation addresses the impact of variable capacity on production system inventories, drawing on analogies with corresponding physical systems to support the analysis. Full article

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

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31 pages, 2314 KB

Open AccessArticle

Green and Low-Carbon Strategy of Logistics Enterprises Under “Dual Carbon”: A Tripartite Evolutionary Game Simulation

by Liping Wang, Zhonghao Ye, Tongtong Lei, Kaiyue Liu and Chuang Li

Systems 2025, 13(7), 590; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems13070590 - 15 Jul 2025

Viewed by 977

Abstract

In the low-carbon era, there is a serious challenge of climate change, which urgently needs to promote low-carbon consumption behavior in order to build sustainable low-carbon consumption patterns. The establishment of this model not only requires in-depth theoretical research as support, but also requires tripartite cooperation between the government, enterprises and the public to jointly promote the popularization and practice of the low-carbon consumption concept. Therefore, by constructing a tripartite evolutionary game model and simulation analysis, this study deeply discusses the mechanism of government policy on the strategy choice of logistics enterprises. The stability strategy and satisfying conditions are deeply analyzed by constructing a tripartite evolutionary game model of the logistics industry, government, and consumers. With the help of MATLAB R2023b simulation analysis, the following key conclusions are drawn: (1) The strategic choice of logistics enterprises is affected by various government policies, including research and development intensity, construction intensity, and punishment intensity. These government policies and measures guide logistics enterprises toward low-carbon development. (2) The government’s research, development, and punishment intensity are vital in determining whether logistics enterprises adopt low-carbon strategies. R&D efforts incentivize logistics companies to adopt low-carbon technologies by driving technological innovation and reducing costs. The penalties include economic sanctions to restrain companies that do not comply with low-carbon standards. In contrast, construction intensity mainly affects the consumption behavior of consumers and then indirectly affects the strategic choice of logistics enterprises through market demand. (3) Although the government’s active supervision is a necessary guarantee for logistics enterprises to implement low-carbon strategies, more is needed. This means that in addition to the government’s policy support, it also needs the active efforts of the logistics enterprises themselves and the improvement of the market mechanism to promote the low-carbon development of the logistics industry jointly. This study quantifies the impact of different factors on the system’s evolution, providing a precise decision-making basis for policymakers and helping promote the logistics industry’s and consumers’ low-carbon transition. It also provides theoretical support for the logistics industry’s low-carbon development and green low-carbon consumption and essential guidance for sustainable development. Full article

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

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25 pages, 1379 KB

Open AccessArticle

Digitalization of Air Cargo Supply Chains: A Case Study of Latvia

by Ingūna Jurgelāne-Kaldava, Willie Vincent Effenberger, Agnese Batenko and Kristina Čižiūnienė

Systems 2025, 13(6), 468; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems13060468 - 13 Jun 2025

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 5886

Abstract

Air cargo logistics plays a crucial role in transforming supply chains and increasing speed, reliability, and global connectivity. However, fragmented data integration and limited digitalization are key challenges in air cargo supply. Global challenges, such as COVID-19, showed the significance of the air cargo supply chain in ensuring that global trade continues without significant disruptions. This study focuses on digitalization strategy for the Latvian air cargo supply chain, addressing the issues related to operational efficiency and enhancing competitiveness. With the utilization of technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), the proposed strategy emphasizes data-sharing challenges using IATA ONE Record as a foundation. Quantitative and qualitative methods, including PESTEL analysis, the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), and expert interviews, were used to evaluate and prioritize digital solutions. The results highlight the potential for software integration with the aim of real-time monitoring and tracking of air cargo, facilitating the exchange of data across stakeholders. The studies conducted demonstrate the benefits and opportunities of software integration, significantly reducing production time and operating expenses. The findings show that IATA ONE Record integration transform Latvian air cargo industry, facilitating the development of regional supply chains. Therefore, it can be argued that in the context of increased uncertainty and growing consumer demands, the digitalization of this sector, as illustrated by the case of air cargo in Latvia, is of particular importance from both a practical and scientific point of view. Full article

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

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22 pages, 3593 KB

Open AccessArticle

Market Entry or Outsourcing? Game Analyzing Coastal Piggybacking Within Horizontal Competition

by Naimeng Liu, Rong Zhang and Bin Liu

Systems 2025, 13(5), 336; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems13050336 - 1 May 2025

Viewed by 945

Abstract

The shipping industry employs various strategies for outsourcing between freight forwarders and ocean shipping (OS) companies, including consignment and turnkey strategies. Freight forwarders often have a competitive edge in cargo canvassing, but many OS companies still engage in this practice. With China’s new policy liberalizing coastal shipping rights, OS companies are presented with two coastal shipping tactics: coastal transition and coastal piggyback (CPB). The interaction between OS companies and freight forwarders in the context of this policy change raises important strategic questions. This study examines the coastal piggyback business model within a three-tier shipping supply chain, involving a freight forwarder and two competing OS companies (OS1, which does not qualify for the coastal piggyback policy, and OS2, which does) using game theory. Through game analysis, we find that CPB may represent a myopic equilibrium. Specifically, when the freight forwarder’s cargo-canvassing capability is higher than a certain threshold, CPB is not advantageous for OS2’s market entry. Conversely, if the freight forwarder’s capability is relatively low, both OS companies can benefit from CPB. Additionally, OS companies enter the market when entry costs are low and avoid it when costs are high. With moderate costs, their strategy depends on the other OS company’s actions. Interestingly, the forwarder can deter market entry by enhancing cargo canvassing and adjusting outsourcing tactics. Notably, OS companies’ market entry may boost the forwarder’s payoffs in a horizontally competitive supply chain. Furthermore, this research examines the economic sustainability of coastal piggyback policy by analyzing its impacts on the profitability of all supply chain members. Full article

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

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34 pages, 2788 KB

Open AccessArticle

Emission Reduction Decisions in the Agricultural Supply Chain Considering Dual Fairness Concerns

by Huanhuan Wang, Qilan Zhao, Hanxing Cui, Junjie Guo and Qiuxia Zhang

Systems 2025, 13(5), 313; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems13050313 - 24 Apr 2025

Viewed by 807

Abstract

The challenges in reducing emissions within agricultural supply chains mainly arise from the short-term self-interested behaviors of various stakeholders. To study the impact of the agricultural producer’s dual fairness concerns toward the manufacturer and retailer on profit distribution and emission reduction decisions, this paper develops a centralized model and two decentralized models (with and without dual fairness concerns) for a three-level agricultural supply chain. The paper derives the optimal emission reduction decisions, participant profits, and overall supply chain profits under different decision-making scenarios. The main findings are as follows: First, the centralized model results in higher supply chain profit, emission reduction, and market demand compared to decentralized models, where these factors remain unchanged regardless of fairness concerns. Second, in decentralized decision-making, fairness concerns raise the agricultural producer’s profit while reducing those of the manufacturer and retailer. The manufacturer always earns the highest profit, followed by the retailer. Finally, the agricultural producer’s fairness concerns do not affect emission reduction or overall profit, but they change profit distribution, with increasing concern toward one participant decreasing their profit and increasing the other’s. These findings fill the theoretical gap in existing research and provide valuable theoretical insights for governments and stakeholders in making decisions. Full article

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

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25 pages, 2535 KB

Open AccessArticle

Channel Selection Strategies of Chinese E-Commerce Supply Chains Under Green Governmental Subsidies

by Lingyu Gao, Xiaoli Wang and Xu Xin

Systems 2025, 13(3), 172; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems13030172 - 2 Mar 2025

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1646

Abstract

In the era of the green digital economy, network platforms as a new form of economic format have gained significant attention from e-commerce companies. This paper intends to address the channel selection strategy for e-commerce enterprises and the coordination of the whole supply chain under the government’s green subsidy policy. Game theory is used to analyze the strategy of channel selection based on logistics distribution, e-commerce platform, consumer preference, and green governmental subsidy. The findings are as follows: (1) Self-established logistics cost and platform commission rates are important factors affecting channel selection. With the increase in consumers’ preference for a green economy, consumers are more inclined to choose platform channels. (2) Green governmental subsidies represent an advantageous strategy for the whole supply chain, and under its influence, the Pareto improvement of the supply chain can be realized. (3) Cooperation with other companies using the platform franchise system can maximize the benefits of the supply chain, which also can improve consumer satisfaction and increase the profits of e-commerce enterprises at the same time. In conclusion, a platform franchise contract is proposed to coordinate the supply chain and realize the rapid development of the green economy. Full article

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

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