Sustainability, Vol. 11, Pages 6464: Considering JIT in Assigning Task for Return Vehicle in Green Supply Chain (Sustainability)

The purpose of this study was to achieve supply chain sustainability by considering Just in Time (JIT) in return vehicle usage. In response to a general increase in modern environmental awareness, consumer and government attention towards product and service compliance with environmental protection standards has increased. Consequently, manufacturers and stakeholders are pressured to use eco-friendly supply chains. In this paper, we analyzed the JIT model, a transportation network that ensure agile responses and delivery of goods in a supply chain, which reduces inventory costs. We then compared two return vehicle transportation scenarios. In the first, goods were transported from the central warehouse to the distribution base, and the return vehicle delivered recyclable packaging materials back to the central distribution warehouse. In the second scenario, goods were transported from the manufacturer to the distribution center (warehouse) more frequently, leading to reduced inventory. We then utilized the aforementioned JIT system with ILOG CPLEX12.4 to ascertain which scenario would produce the lowest carbon emissions for the lowest total cost.