A team of Italian researchers from the Politecnico di Milano and Avery Dennison Italia have developed a reverse logistics model aimed at more efficient recycling of a wide range of products, including mobile phones. Reverse logistics is where the flow of goods goes back from consumers to producers.
They have devised a mathematical model of the options for take back and recycling of a range of appliances and electronic equipment. This involves a number of stages – collection, transportation, sorting, and processing.
A test modelling has been carried out on the Danish supply chain and take-back. Some of the findings may appear obvious. For instance, producers that work in partnership can be more efficient in achieving compliance with product take-back legislation such as the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations than those who go it alone. The researchers draw attention to the clear environmental benefits of recycling and point out that there are also additional benefits that can be achieved in large countries and on a European-wide basis. These could arise from economies of scale and the ability for producers to operate in a free market, where reused and recycled products can be resold for a reasonable rate of return.