Survey of reverse logistics practices in manufacturing industries: an Indian context

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current status of reverse logistics practices used on four sectors of Indian manufacturing industry, namely, auto, paper, food and beverage processing, and electronics. Design/methodology/approach – A nationwide questionnaire-based survey has been used to assess reverse logistics practices in Indian context. Findings – It was seen from the survey that Indian companies considered implementing reverse logistics programs in their organization as a strategic-level decision. Volume of products entering the return stream is a key driver of reverse logistics activities. One of the important observations of this research is that Indian companies have primarily adopted reverse logistics due to the economic benefits associated with them. Research limitations/implications – The results reported in this research are the bird’s eye view of reverse logistics practices in the Indian context only. The low level of questionnaire responses is also one of the limitations of this study. Numerical data related to companies could not be reported in this research as companies were reluctant in giving sensitive data. Practical implications – The present research would be useful for benchmarking professionals/managers for understanding strategic, tactical and operational-level issues of reverse logistics with respect to Indian context. Also, logistics managers can evolve suitable strategies for successful implementation of reverse logistics programs. Originality/value – The literature review indicates that only a few frameworks available give a holistic perspective of the current status of reverse logistics operations in an Indian context. This research is an attempt in this regard.