Sustainable decision making for joint distribution center location choice

- A sustainable evaluation criterion system is proposed.
- Fuzzy TOPSIS is improved using weighted criterion distance.
- Comparative analysis shows the robustness of our proposed method.

Implementing joint distribution between express service providers is important in order to achieve operational efficiency and reduce operational cost. Joint distribution centers (JDCs) are an important part of the modern urban logistics system for online shopping, and selecting the location for a JDC has become a key problem for stakeholders considering sustainability. In this paper, we present a new hybrid fuzzy multiple-criteria decision-making method for selecting the location of a JDC considering sustainability. First, we identify the evaluation criteria for location selection integrating the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of sustainability. Secondly, a fuzzy set is used to translate linguistic preferences into triangular fuzzy numbers. Subjective criteria weights are calculated by combining the decision makers' superiority linguistic ratings with a fuzzy AHP method. Objective criteria weights are determined by combining superiority linguistic ratings with a fuzzy-entropy method. Then, improved fuzzy TOPSIS is achieved by using weighted criterion distances to rank these alternatives. This permits a more stable ranking order to be obtained compared to traditional fuzzy TOPSIS which uses Euclidean distance. Finally, an empirical location selection and sensitivity analysis study is conducted to illustrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method. This new method allows the location of a JDC to be selected considering sustainability, and will contribute to promoting the sustainable development of China's express industry and, to some extent, the sustainability and harmony of city development.