Sustainability implications of reverse logistics for perishable food products

Agri-food supply chains are multidimensional network-based systems, consisting of production, retailing and distribution processes, with sustainability aspects to be addressed, including transportation emissions and food loss and waste generation. The sustainability implications of food loss and waste recovery need to be analyzed in greater detail, along with the implications related to the returns of food product not respecting normative standards and commercial agreements. This research aims to analyze how sustainability is addressed along an agri-food supply chain in case of reverse logistics and to explore the main sustainability implications of reverse logistics for the suppliers of perishable food products. A two-fold approach is applied, a systematic literature review is elaborated, then a qualitative study is developed, exploring the reverse logistics activities for five companies producing perishable food products. From the results, it emerges that food loss and waste can be a significant burden with unnecessary use of natural resources, as well as the generation of additional climate-relevant emissions and costs. Scientific attention is directed to the prevention of losses and waste downstream in the supply chain, while upstream measures (from primary production to retail) remain scarce, although there is a large reduction potential at the production stage. Interventions to avoid product loss are still necessary to guarantee positive effects on sustainability on a global scale.