This paper investigates the current development in research and practice in reverse logistics (RL) through
content analysis of the published literature. We have used various web based search engines, books and
conference proceedings to locate and review the literature. The review finds that research and practice
in RL are focused on all aspects of RL—from collection of used products, their processing and finally to
the outputs of processing, namely, recycled materials, spare parts, remanufactured products and waste
material disposal. Many of the literature have also focused on case studies on various aspects of RL. The
review also shows that mathematical modeling in RL research is mainly focused on deterministic methods
and there are limited research papers considering stochastic demand for the remanufactured products
and supply of used products by the customer. Also, it is found that the pricing models for acquiring
used products are still developing. We believe that the characteristics of RL provided here can help the
researchers/practitioners to advance their work in the future.
© 2008 Elsev