Exploring reserve logistics in the computer industry - Australian case studies

E-waste has become a major environmental issue that needs national and governmental attention to put control on the uprising of e-waste and its impact on the environment. Australia, a country of just over 20 million people, have discarded or stockpiled a total of 8.7 million computers by the end of2006. It has been estimated that the Australians will replace 9 million computers, 5 million printers and 2 million scanners by 2008. One way of minimising the environmental impact of e-waste is to increase the amount of product materials recovered from the waste stream through reverse logistics. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the nature and process of reverse logistics in the computer industry in Australia through the case study approach. Three Melbourne-based companies involved in recycling computer were studied using data and information collected through structured interviews with the senior management. The findings of the study highlight that the companies under study differ from one another in terms of their strategic focus, level of experience, operations procedure, and financial arrangements with regards to reverse logistics. This study is valuable in showing the real aspects of reverse logistics practices in the computer industry and providing insights for future quantitative and empirical research.