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Cold-chain logistics presents significant challenges to sustainable development in terms of economics, society, and the environment. To address this issue, this paper focuses on solving a real-world problem—the multipath location-routing problem-based cold-chain logistics (MPLRPCCL), which considers soft time windows and heterogeneous fleets. The mathematical model aims to optimize the total logistics costs, including fuel consumption, carbon emissions, cargo deterioration, penalties, operating depots, and renting fleets. To effectively solve this problem, the paper proposes three versions of a memetic algorithm (MA) that incorporate control modules for monitoring the MA's performance and improving its global optimization performance. Computational evaluations were conducted, and the results show that the proposed algorithms are effective and outperform the classic MA framework. Furthermore, the proposed model and algorithms were applied to real-world cases in Hangzhou city, China, demonstrating their practical applicability. Overall, this paper offers a promising approach to tackling the complex challenges posed by cold-chain logistics and contributes to the sustainable development of this important field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this paper is on achieving a win-win situation regarding the economic, environmental, and social impacts of the cold chain logistics terminal distribution system. This paper proposes three multi-objective models to investigate the above effects by incorporating soft time windows, heterogeneous fleets, and path flexibility, with defining the objectives of examining logistics costs, fuel consumption, carbon emissions, quality damage to perishable commodities, and customer satisfaction using six evaluation functions. To solve the proposed models, an efficient optimization framework is developed by combining domain operators with versatile multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEA) to obtain Pareto solutions. Extensive experiments are conducted to test the validity of the concerned model and algorithms. The results demonstrate that: (1) the proposed algorithm is effective in solving the proposed model; (2) the proposed multi-path strategy can effectively improve the performance of cold-chain logistics systems compared to single-path strategies; (3) evaluation functions that assess customer satisfaction greatly affect the performance of cold-chain logistics systems; and (4) the trade-off relationship between the objectives should be investigated to define the model. The paper also provides valuable managerial insights for improving the efficiency and sustainability of cold-chain logistics operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]