Designing a collection and delivery point network based on distributive justice principles

Collection and delivery points (CDPs) consolidate parcel deliveries and reduce the circulation of freight vehicles, lowering operational costs. They also offer a more accessible alternative to home delivery, which is often restrictive, as not everyone is available during working hours and some areas lack coverage. Addressing these challenges is essential for increasing efficiency and mitigating negative externalities. This study proposes a CDP network design that ensures equitable access to small nonperishable goods. A location-allocation problem is solved to determine optimal CDP locations, maximising facility coverage while minimising the number of required facilities through fair resource allocation. The proposed network is compared with the Brazilian Post Office Box (PO Box) service to evaluate improvements in accessibility. From a planning perspective, the findings provide valuable information for both public and private sectors in decision-making on parcel delivery services. Public authorities can use the results to develop policies that improve urban logistics, while private companies can establish a CDP network that ensures accessibility to users while maintaining low operational costs. Ultimately, the study contributes to improving last-mile logistics by offering an efficient and inclusive alternative to traditional home delivery methods, reducing environmental and economic impacts in urban freight distribution. • Equity criteria were used to establish a collection and delivery point network. • The use of Rawls' Egalitarianism and Sufficientarianism theories to address the location-allocation problem. • The ideal network increases the population coverage by 268.3 % compared to the existing service (PO box). • The coverage of the low-income population increases by 1381.3 % compared to the existing service.