Consideration of quantity loss in packaging strategies for the fresh agricultural products supply chain

Fresh food waste represents both a market inefficiency and an environmental failure. While packaging can reduce losses or waste of fresh products, it also contributes to carbon emissions. This study constructs a mathematical model that comprehensively considers fresh product loss rates, consumer attitudes, packaging costs, and related investment decisions to explore the impact of different packaging strategies on loss reduction, profit, and sustainability in the fresh agricultural products supply chain. Our research delves into the optimal packaging strategy through comparative analysis, resulting in the following key points: (1) The NP strategy leads to higher loss rates and lower profits. (2) When packaging costs are properly controlled, both the SP and RP strategies can enhance profits while increasing demand and extending supply duration, contributing positively to social sustainability. (3) Regarding environmental sustainability, the NP strategy results in the least carbon emissions when the loss rate is very low, while the SP strategy is suitable for long supply chains and high loss rates, and the RP strategy is appropriate for products with significant demand fluctuations and high value.