The Reverse Logistics of Cross-Border e-Tailing in Europe: Developing a Research Agenda to Assess the Environmental Impacts

The purpose of this article is to develop a research agenda to analyze the potential environmental implications of the reverse logistics involved in the B2C element of cross-border clothing e-tailing. Based on a combination of literature review and primary case study data from five major clothing retailers and two logistics service providers in Sweden, a categorization of cross-border reverse chain possibilities is developed. Seven reverse chain types are identified and it is shown that all of the five retailers use multiple reverse chain types. The results are subsequently used to highlight research gaps and define a future research agenda which will enable a more complete environmental analysis of the impacts of online clothes shopping incorporating both the outward and reverse elements.