Reverse logistics and social sustainability

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.