An inventory policy for perishable agri-food products in a sustainable-resilient hazelnut supply chain under uncertainty: Pathways to circular economy

The growing demand for food, combined with environmental and social pressures, has highlighted the need for sustainable and resilient agri-food supply chains. In this study, a multi-objective two-stage stochastic optimization model is developed to design a circular and sustainable hazelnut supply chain network. The model considers uncertainty and disruption scenarios. Additionally, an advanced First-In First-Out (FIFO) inventory formulation is developed to manage product perishability and inventory levels. The model simultaneously minimizes total costs, and reduces environmental impacts through water-efficient irrigation and low-emission strategies. Moreover, the valorization of by-products and waste is improved to support sustainable development goals. In addition, seasonal worker welfare is considered as an important social sustainability factor. To solve the model, an enhanced ε-constraint method is applied. The performance of stochastic model is evaluated using standard validation measures. The results highlight important sustainability trade-offs, showing that a 5% increase in total cost can reduce environmental impacts by nearly 9%.