Practice Abstract #7: Optimising Logistics to Lower Carbon Emissions and Enhance Operational Efficiency – The Case of Food Hubs

Food hubs serve as platforms that aggregate products from small-scale food producers and facilitate their delivery to final consumers, which can enhance their profit margins and foster local economic development. However, the logistics involved in operating food hubs can be particularly costly and often involves small volume journeys. This research aimed to address the ‘producer-to-hub-to customer’ transport problem and optimise efficiency in operational logistics while considering economic (costs) and environmental aspects (carbon emissions).