Reverse logistics system analysis of a Brazilian beverage company: An exploratory study

Considering the key role of reverse logistics for supply chains sustainability performance and the increasing concern regarding social and environmental negative impacts of human activities, this study aims to analyze the reverse logistics system developed by a Brazilian beverage company for one-way bottle segment. For this, a supply chain mapping with its direct and reverse flows was performed, the main variables of interest were listed and the characteristics that define its performance were analyzed. The modeling was conducted through System Dynamics, since this tool allows to consider the main factors at an enough level of abstraction to simulate scenarios. The analysis focused on the variables: material reuse (environmental), waste of resources (environmental), cost of storage (economic) and unemployment (social). To measure them, the indicators recycling ratio I and II, storage cost and job creation ratio were evaluated. The simulation showed that not all actions listed to improve the reverse logistics system benefit simultaneously the three pillars of sustainability. In addition, some existing trade-offs should be considered as well as the implementation of combined actions for better results. The simulations performed for three scenarios also revealed that indicators such as storage costs, recycling ratio and employment ratio improve reverse chain performance with the adoption of intermediate integrated solutions. The information presented in this article can support managers in decision making in their companies and contribute to broaden the debates about reverse logistics systems.