Gilvan C. Souza – författare

Closed-loop supply chain activities such as remanufacturing, recycling, dismantling for spare parts, and reverse logistics have helped many companies tap into new revenue streams by finding secondary markets for their products, all while reducing their overall carbon footprint. A comprehensive yet concise presentation of closed-loop supply chain processes, Closed-Loop Supply Chains: New Developments to Improve the Sustainability of Business Practices investigates the state of the art in this rapidly growing and environmentally significant field. Written by academic experts, in language that is accessible to practitioners, this reader-friendly reference examines recent research and case studies of companies running profitable reuse/remanufacture/recycling operations in various industries. It illustrates profitable practices in returned and recovered products, and clearly explains how to: design a reverse logistics network, conduct production planning, implement effective marketing strategies for recovered products, and apply closed-loop supply chain strategies in other industries besides manufacturing. From product development to materials to assembly and profitability, this authoritative resource illustrates the impact of these processes across all aspects of the supply chain. It provides a business perspective of how to properly implement these processes in your company to achieve profitable and sustainable operations in a more environmentally friendly manner. It also: Investigates strategic decisions companies face in regard to the secondary market for their products, including opportunity costsExamines tactical issues firms will face once the decision to remanufacture has been made, including how to market remanufactured productsSummarizes the key characteristics and practices in a variety of industries where remanufacturing has been successful Explains how to conceptualize and manage changes due to switching to a closed-loop supply chain Demonstrates how to handle changing legislation Designed for ease of reference, each chapter covers a specific topic—in a completely self-contained manner—allowing readers to quickly and easily reference the chapters of particular relevance to their industry and situation.

The book can be viewed from the perspective of a medium to large firm's journey towards sustainability. A firm that wants to be sustainable considers the triple bottom line when making decisions, i.e., the firm takes into account economic (profit), environmental (planet), and social (people) impacts when making decisions. By focusing on the triple bottom line (3Ps), the firm ensures a steady supply of inputs such as raw materials and labor indefinitely.

The first step towards sustainability is aimed at reducing waste in operations (mainly production), with the help of such tools as lean and six-sigma. The firm then performs a Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) for each of its main products and processes. LCA is a methodology designed to assess the environmental impact (e.g., energy consumption) of a product or process, from raw material extraction to production (in its different stages), packaging, distribution, sales, consumer use, and end-of-life disposal. With a better understanding of the major impacts, the firm can then target actions designed to reduce the firm's environmental impact (which in most cases also improves the economic bottom line), that is, the firm aims to be eco-efficient.

The final step in the journey towards sustainability, which is the ultimate goal, is to close the loop. To close the loop, the firm starts by designing products for multiple life cycles (as in design for remanufacturing), or products designed according to a "cradle-to-cradle" philosophy that ensures ease of disassembly and 100% recyclability (up-cycling as opposed to down-cycling).