Designing a vaccine supply chain network considering environmental aspects

journal article in Web of Science

en

In the fight against SARS-COV-2, the vaccine has become a ubiquitous preventive measure. Vaccination programs for COVID-19 are inadvertently creating large amounts of bio-medical and plastic waste, negatively impacting the environment. This perspective takes a critical stance regarding the waste generated by vaccines and the subsequent knock-on effects. Vaccine production and storage have contributed to global warming due to their environmental impacts. The vaccine supply chain (VSC), essential in global health due to its high relevance to humans, must be optimally designed and implemented to ensure high service levels at minimal cost and environmental concerns. This investigation aims to demonstrate a pattern of the green vaccine supply chain network (GVSCN) when the coronavirus was circulating. The presented model can illustrate a balance between environmental protection and economic growth during the epidemic. This model is sensitive to the economic and environmental impact structures. The cost includes the standard and hygiene costs. This study provides a multiobjective mixed-integer programming (MOMIP) problem. The multi-objective gray wolf optimizer (MOGWO) algorithm is utilized to address the developed model. The novelty and our contributions to the investigation on this topic are i) Suggesting a green vaccine supply chain network application model to demonstrate useful the trade-offs between two green supply chain aspects, ii) Designing the hygienic and safe network for the vaccine supply chain, iii) Developing economic indicators in the pandemic conditions, iv) Analyzing the impacts of vaccine supply chain activities on economy and environment. An actual case in Iran is also studied to probe the effectiveness of the proposed model.

In the fight against SARS-COV-2, the vaccine has become a ubiquitous preventive measure. Vaccination programs for COVID-19 are inadvertently creating large amounts of bio-medical and plastic waste, negatively impacting the environment. This perspective takes a critical stance regarding the waste generated by vaccines and the subsequent knock-on effects. Vaccine production and storage have contributed to global warming due to their environmental impacts. The vaccine supply chain (VSC), essential in global health due to its high relevance to humans, must be optimally designed and implemented to ensure high service levels at minimal cost and environmental concerns. This investigation aims to demonstrate a pattern of the green vaccine supply chain network (GVSCN) when the coronavirus was circulating. The presented model can illustrate a balance between environmental protection and economic growth during the epidemic. This model is sensitive to the economic and environmental impact structures. The cost includes the standard and hygiene costs. This study provides a multiobjective mixed-integer programming (MOMIP) problem. The multi-objective gray wolf optimizer (MOGWO) algorithm is utilized to address the developed model. The novelty and our contributions to the investigation on this topic are i) Suggesting a green vaccine supply chain network application model to demonstrate useful the trade-offs between two green supply chain aspects, ii) Designing the hygienic and safe network for the vaccine supply chain, iii) Developing economic indicators in the pandemic conditions, iv) Analyzing the impacts of vaccine supply chain activities on economy and environment. An actual case in Iran is also studied to probe the effectiveness of the proposed model.

Multi-objective gray wolf optimizer algorithm; SARS-COV-2; Supply chain design; Waste management

10.09.2023

ELSEVIER SCI LTDTHE BOULEVARD, LANGFORD LANE, KIDLINGTON, OXFORD OX5 1GB, OXON, ENGLAND

ELSEVIER SCI LTDTHE BOULEVARD, LANGFORD LANE, KIDLINGTON, OXFORD OX5 1GB, OXON, ENGLAND

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