General trends in the development of reverse logistics
Reverse logistics is a relatively new area of research, both in theoretical and empirical terms. In English-language literature, one can encounter terms such as reverse distribution, return logistics, reversed logistics, or retro logistics, which essentially refer to the same issues.
Reverse logistics differs fundamentally from fields such as waste management, which relates mainly to the effective and efficient collection and processing of waste. In waste management, it is assumed that the concept of waste defines products for which there is no new application. It follows that the problems with clarifying the concept of reverse logistics and its distinction from other related fields of science boil down to understanding the concept of waste along with all the consequences resulting from the definition. Reverse logistics concerns those flow streams where there is a possibility of creating value from withdrawn products and situations where the output serves as an input for a new supply chain.
Reverse logistics also differs from the concept of green logistics, which deals with aspects of environmental protection in all logistics activities, with particular attention paid to traditional forward flows, i.e., from producer to customer. Leading environmental issues in logistics include the use of non-renewable natural resources, air emissions, transport congestion and road usage, excessive noise, and waste disposal, including hazardous waste.
Problems of reverse logistics in economic life have existed for a long time. However, it was not until the 1970s that terms defining their essence began to appear in publications. They were presented in various approaches, hence the modern concept of reverse logistics can be considered an interdisciplinary field of logistics knowledge. Table 1 presents the evolution of views on reverse logistics, taking into account the most important approaches to the concept.
The latest studies in the field of reverse logistics are based mainly on the definition of reverse logistics proposed by REVLOG (cf. Table 1). It lacks a reference to the destination and the place of origin. This results in an expansion of the scope of application of reverse logistics. The object of interest can be reverse flows including raw materials, inventory, and finished goods that have never been used and have not reached the point of sale. Such a situation occurs in the case of adjusting the level and structure of spare parts inventory for which there is no demand on the market. The lack of reference to the place of origin in the definition, in turn, means that the reverse flow can be directed to various recovery sites, which do not have to be the original place of origin. In this way, it is possible to incorporate reverse flows into new supply chains. Another important consequence of this approach to reverse logistics is the use of the term “reverse flows”. Including the reverse direction of flows in the definition excludes situations where recovery occurs within forward flows. The definition of reverse logistics has undergone significant changes over time, from the moment when reverse logistics issues first appeared in science and economic practice. Starting from issues related to recycling, emphasizing aspects related to environmental protection and ecology in the later period of development, there was ultimately a return to the initial pillars of the concept while simultaneously expanding the scope of interests of reverse logistics.
The article comes from the journal “Logistyka” 5/2009.