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doi: 10.1080/01605682.2025.2523362pmid: N/A
Abstract This critical review explores the evolving role of Operational Research (OR) in addressing sustainability challenges. It synthesizes key OR methods including optimization, simulation, game theory, multi-criteria decision analysis, and system dynamics, highlighting their utility in managing the complex, multidimensional aspects of sustainable development. Tracing OR’s transition from military and industrial applications to its modern use in environmental management, resource allocation, and policymaking, the article underscores its value in scenario analysis, decision-making, and evaluating trade-offs across economic, environmental, and social dimensions. Drawing on case studies and systematic reviews, the study examines how OR techniques are applied in real-world sustainability contexts. It also investigates emerging trends such as hybrid modeling, integration with big data, and participatory decision frameworks that promote equity and inclusiveness. A critical assessment is made of existing limitations, including data constraints, stakeholder diversity, and methodological complexity. Unlike prior reviews, this article offers a holistic, interdisciplinary approach and proposes a forward-looking research agenda. This agenda centers on four thematic pillars: Methodological Enhancements, Holistic Integration, Stakeholder and Policy Engagement, and Broadening OR Applications. Each pillar is supported by Key Themes that shape objective-setting and the formulation of future research questions, aiming to expand OR’s contributions to sustainable development.
Koç, Çağrı; Bektaş, Tolga; Laporte, Gilbert
doi: 10.1080/01605682.2024.2446655pmid: N/A
Abstract This is a survey of decarbonization for road freight transportation. It offers a focused overview of planning models and presents a narrative that contextualizes the journey and evolution of decarbonization efforts. It first reports on recent advances in the field under the classification of operational tactical and strategic planning. It then identifies future trends in the areas of technology, infrastructure, market, behaviour, energy and regulations. The paper closes with a discussion on emerging models and presents a methodological outlook.
Kaffash, Sepideh; Chomachaei, Fahimeh; Aktas, Emel
doi: 10.1080/01605682.2024.2429567pmid: N/A
Abstract Air transportation significantly contributes to global CO2 emissions. The US Aviation Climate Action Plan introduced in November 2021 aims to decarbonize the aviation sector by 2050. Aligned with this initiative, our study applies Data Envelopment Analysis and fixed-effect panel regression to empirically explore how financial performance and technical efficiency impact Environmental Sustainability Performance (ESP) in the airline industry. We curated panel data of nine US passenger airlines from 2010 to 2019 to examine three key areas: the impact of financial performance on environmental sustainability performance, the influence of efficiency on environmental sustainability performance, and the relationship between flight stage length and environmental sustainability performance. Our findings indicate that improved Financial Performance, higher technical efficiency, and longer stage lengths positively contribute to enhanced environmental sustainability performance. Our study provides valuable insights for managers and policymakers, emphasizing the pivotal role of financial stability in achieving environmental goals within the airline industry. It underscores the intricate connection between economic viability and sustainability, offering guidance for policymakers seeking to balance financial success with environmental goals.
Vishwakarma, Amit Kumar; Patro, Pratyush Kumar; Acquaye, Adolf; Jayaraman, Raja; Salah, Khaled
doi: 10.1080/01605682.2024.2441224pmid: N/A
Abstract In attempts to progress the transition towards decarbonizing energy systems and achieving sustainable development goals linked to energy, renewable energy sources (RES), which are decentrally deployed, are being widely promoted. However, RES are constrained by many barriers, some of which are technical in nature, such as energy losses. For instance, traditional peer-to-peer (P2P) trading systems have been used as a mechanism to advance RES because they offer a promising solution for decentralized energy trading without third-party intermediaries. However, it faces significant challenges, notably in accounting for energy losses during transmission and distribution, thus reducing overall system efficiency. We propose an end-to-end blockchain-based solution to provide traceability of energy loss in a distributed network and enhance transaction security, trust, and operational efficiency by linking prosumers and consumers. Our solution uses smart contracts to automate business transactions among the stakeholders. We develop six algorithms and deploy the smart contracts to demonstrate the successful deployment of the P2P energy trading process. Our solution effectively provides traceability of energy loss and reliably secured P2P energy transaction verification. We also present the cost and security analysis to demonstrate the affordability and reliability of our solution. We make our smart contract codes publicly available on GitHub.
doi: 10.1080/01605682.2024.2447388pmid: N/A
Abstract The green economy balances the economy, nature, and environment to secure a better future for civilisation. Financial institutions (FIs) can play a significant role as stakeholders by encouraging advances in socially important, relevant, and sustainable activities toward a green economy. However, FIs face significant challenges in identifying sustainable borrowers amongst lots. To address the concerns, this research presents a sustainable credit decision system (SCDS) using a fuzzy best-worst method (BWM) and the recently extended fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) -Sorting. The usefulness of the purported system has been evidenced with an empirical case study. According to the study’s results, environmental and social variables are most significant in identifying sustainable borrowers. The proposed system has shown an accuracy rate of 78.43% with a true positive rate (TPR) of 87.5% and a false positive rate (FPR) of 23.25% against comparable outcomes by the financial-based model. Policymakers in banks, FIs and regulators may refer to the system to include various sustainable criteria in their lending process.
Choudhary, Divya; Kumar, Ajay; Gong, Yeming; Papadopoulos, Thanos
doi: 10.1080/01605682.2025.2459252pmid: N/A
Abstract We perform a multidimensional and integrated investigation of risks associated with circular supply chains (CSC), drawing on Transition Management Theory (TMT). This research focuses on e-waste from the Indian electronics industry, a waste stream with significant recovery potential and one of the fastest-growing in emerging economies. Drawing on TMT, the study (i) institutionalises risk management activities in circular systems to operationalise the transition towards CE; (ii) quantifies CSC risks at operational, tactical, and strategic levels and measure the total risk exposure of CSCs; (iii) comprehensively cogitates the operational, socio-environmental, and financial implications of CSCs risks and (iv) considers uncertainty in operations research (OR) models by applying a fuzzy set theory, evidential reasoning algorithm, and expected utility theory based model to evaluate and profile the CSCs risks. The proposed model contributes to the application of decision analysis and risk analysis approaches in the sustainability domain and can efficiently model uncertain, subjective, and incomplete data. Our findings reveal that customers’ reluctance to purchase reprocessed products represents the most critical challenge to the effectiveness of CSCs. Furthermore, contrary to conventional perspectives, organizations are strategically shifting toward adopting circular practices. However, they often lack the practical means and resources to implement these strategies effectively.
Quaye, Enoch; Tunaru, Radu; Tunaru, Diana
doi: 10.1080/01605682.2025.2465895pmid: N/A
Abstract Green activities are measured with a green revenue adjustment factor that can be used to adjust observed market stock prices. We examine the green revenue factors for all companies that are part of the stock indexes representing the main five economies. Using multivariate correlation coefficients, we detect higher-order groupings of green indexes that may highly or lowly correlate. We employ the green revenues factor to construct portfolios that may benefit from the wedge between high green companies and low green companies, for all five economies. The quintile portfolios are compared across mean return, the CAPM beta, and realised beta. We also statistically test their comparative dollar performance using high-order stochastic dominance tests. The US portfolio has better dollar performance than the corresponding portfolios for the other economies, while the similar portfolio for Japan has the least dollar performance out of portfolios of all the other economies.
Godoi, Letícia Ferreira; Cantane, Daniela Renata; Aranha, Flávia Queiroga; Coral, Mariele Colletti; Jones, Dylan
doi: 10.1080/01605682.2025.2465902pmid: N/A
Abstract This paper aims to contribute to the 2nd United Nations sustainable development goal, specifically the targets of tackling hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition. For this purpose, a multi-objective model is developed to enhance strategic resource allocation in Brazilian food banks. In numerous instances, managers of food banks are confronted with the task of allocating resources to serve the most disadvantaged social institutions, whilst ensuring an equitable, efficient, and effective distribution of food. This paper hence formulates an extended goal programming (EGP) model to devise enhanced strategies for food allocation amongst a set of institutional demand points served by a food bank. A clustering methodology is applied in order to effectively group the institutions. A pairwise comparison methodology is utilised to derive the individual weights of each institution. A comprehensive sensitivity analysis is then undertaken including the cluster level weights and the EGP Alpha parameter than controls the mix of equity and efficiency in the model. The methodology is applied to a case study of a food bank serving 41 institutions in the Brazilian city of Botucatu. The results are analysed in the both in the context of methodology and of the application and conclusions are drawn.
Samal, Pratik; Venkataraman, Sri Vanamalla
doi: 10.1080/01605682.2025.2470301pmid: N/A
Abstract Carbon emissions from improper disposal of residues and by-products are a source of growing concern in global agricultural supply chains. In this study, we investigate the strategies of a farmer who prefers to engage in crop residue burning (CRB) and is averse to sustainable residue management (SRM). His strategy is also influenced when he engages with an environmentally conscious social planner like the Government and an organisation specializing in sustainable residue management. We analyse his interactions with the stakeholders under various settings, and provide a numerical illustration using realistic parameters in the Indian context. Our analysis demonstrates that a farmer will reduce CRB either if he has access to a cheaper and more efficient means of SRM, or if he is operating under a social planner’s penalty mandate. While the latter leads to a higher reduction in CRB, it also diminishes the farmer’s utility drastically. Farmer’s interaction with both the stakeholders, yielded better levels of utility for all players. The best results in terms of reduction in CRB is from a residue trade contract with the organisation. Despite the farmer’s aversion towards SRM, we show that the farmer opts for it, if the speed of processing residue is high enough.
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