Reverse logistics and social sustainability

TLDR

Reverse logistics is increasingly studied for its environmental benefits, yet its social and ethical impacts remain underexplored. The study aims to link sustainable indicators with reverse logistics practices to create a social sustainability profile and outline future research directions. The authors compile international case studies and apply a social sustainability framework to analyze reverse logistics practices. The analysis demonstrates that reverse logistics can advance social sustainability by aligning practices with social sustainability indicators. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Abstract

Abstract The strategic application of reverse supply chain logistics to improve the reclamation of products at the end of their useful life is gaining increased attention. The environmental implications of reclamation, reuse, and recycling to save landfill space, fuel, and costs are becoming more important for organizations. The social and ethical dimensions of sustainability, particularly as they apply to reverse logistics, are emerging topics. The focus of existing reverse logistics research has been on the economic and environmental aspects of sustainability – social sustainability has yet to be comprehensively examined. This paper focuses on addressing this gap in the literature by linking various sustainable indicators with various reverse logistics practices to develop a profile of reverse logistics for social sustainability. By compiling practical, international examples from practice and research, we have used the structure of social sustainability to highlight reverse logistics for social sustainability. The paper concludes with some topics for future research. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.