A Bi-Objective Green Vehicle Routing Problem: A New Hybrid Optimization Algorithm Applied to a Newspaper Distribution

The purpose of this work is to present a methodology to provide a solution to a Bi-objective Green Vehicle Routing Problem (BGVRP). The methodology, illustrated using a case study (newspaper distribution problem) and literature Instances, was divided into three stages: Stage 1, data treatment; Stage 2, “metaheuristic approaches” (hybrid or non-hybrid), used comparatively, more specifically: NSGA-II (Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II), MOPSO (Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization), which were compared with the new approaches proposed by the authors, CWNSGA-II (Clarke and Wright’s Savings with the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II) and CWTSNSGA-II (Clarke and Wright’s Savings, Tabu Search and Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II); Stage 3, analysis of the results, with a comparison of the algorithms. An optimization of 19.9% was achieved for Objective Function 1 (OF1; minimization of CO2 emissions) and consequently the same percentage for the minimization of total distance, and 87.5% for Objective Function 2 (OF2; minimization of the difference in demand). Metaheuristic approaches hybrid achieved superior results for case study and instances. In this way, the procedure presented here can bring benefits to society as it considers environmental issues and also balancing work between the routes, ensuring savings and satisfaction for the users.