An improved CRITIC–MARCOS method based on a group consensus model for selecting low-carbon logistics service providers

Purpose This paper proposes a multi-criteria group decision-making (MCGDM) method that considers the trust relationships among experts and the level of consensus in decision-making to help enterprises select suitable low-carbon logistics service providers and achieve their sustainable development goals. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the decision information is represented by interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy numbers (IVIFNs) and the trust relationships (TRs) between experts are expressed using two-tuple linguistic terms. Considering the TRs among experts, we developed a trust propagation operator to supplement the incomplete TRs among experts. Moreover, we constructed a consensus model to adjust the preferences of decision-makers. Finally, the improved CRiteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC) method is employed to determine the weights of the criteria and the Measurement of Alternatives and Ranking according to Compromise Solution (MARCOS) is used for ranking the low-carbon logistics service providers (LCLSPs). Findings Current research on the selection of logistics providers often overlooks two critical aspects: the trust relationships (TRs) among decision experts and the degree of consensus within the expert group. This study addresses these gaps by incorporating both factors into the decision-making framework, thereby significantly improving the accuracy of the outcomes. Furthermore, through comparative analysis, the proposed method demonstrates enhanced acceptability of the decision results, attributable to the integration of a consensus-building process. Originality/value The proposed MCGDM constructs an expert trust propagation operator and a consensus-reaching model, addressing the current research gap that neglects the impact of experts in the selection of logistics service providers.