Simulator for cost analysis of inconsistent and unsolicited in-kind donations: insights and projections from a sustainable perspective

In-kind donations are essential to disaster response, but their inconsistency and inadequacy can lead to transportation congestion, delays in the arrival of critical items, carbon emissions from their incineration, and other logistical inefficiencies. Considering the increased usage and contributions of technologies to improve humanitarian supply chains, this study aims to develop a practical contribution to the persistent challenge of inconsistent and unsolicited in-kind donations while adhering to sustainability principles. The methodology considers Design Science Research and data from a representative disaster response conducted in Brazil in 2022. The data analysis enabled a deeper comprehension of the divergent perspectives among donors, humanitarian organisations and media regarding in-kind donations, which resulted in the proposition of a simulator showing the cost analysis of in-kind donations by considering a combination of economic (e.g. transportation), social (e.g. deprivation), and environmental costs (e.g. incineration). The simulator is a technological tool available for free and indicates that problems with in-kind donations generate more than six times the minimum cost obtained by the best policy, thus addressing donations management from a rational and sustainable perspective. Future research could improve the standardisation of data collection in disaster responses and further analyse the impact of the simulator on donor behaviour.