Supply chain management for recoverable manufacturing systems

Recoverable manufacturing is not only an environmentally, but also an economically sound way to achieve many of the goals of sustainable development. Recoverable manufacturing systems seek to extend the product life cycle by repair, and remanufacturing activities. Recoverable manufacturing systems minimize the impact of industrial activities on the environment by greatly reducing the need to landfill discarded items and also reducing the need to deplete natural resources of raw materials required for manufacturing activities. The management of the supply chain activities (forecasting, purchasing, forward and reverse logistics, production planning and control, and inventory management) for firms engaged in recoverable manufacturing is more complex because of the increased uncertainty in all functional areas. We identify six complicating characteristics that require significant changes in traditional supply chain management activities.