4.4.1 Reverse logistics
Course subject(s)
Module 4. Collection systems
In order to retrieve products for re-use and high-efficient recycling, the products have to be brought back to the producer or a to third party. In this video Michael Johnson presents the aspects of reverse logistics for the collection of equipment.
Main takeaways
- A look at logistical processes associated with refurbishing and remanufacture, how equipment is sourced for refurbishment and some of the risks involved.
- Reverse Logistics describes everything that happens to a product after a consumer buys it. It can include returns, repairs, refurbishment, recycling, reuse or re-manufacturing. Reverse Logistics aims to close the loop of product lifecycles and help transition to a circular economy.
- The biggest logistical problem is being able to source a constant, steady supply of high quality laptops and equipment for refurbishment.
- Issues such as data security, privacy and corporate secrets are huge concerns for businesses who decide to recycle their unwanted IT and computer equipment.
Some further reading, if you want to take this topic further:
Waste Management and Critical Raw Materials by TU Delft OpenCourseWare is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at https://online-learning.tudelft.nl/courses/waste-management-and-critical-raw-materials/.