Resource efficiency: creating a route to logistics and the circular economy

Abstract

Resource productivity needs to increase by 30% toward 2030, delivering a purported increase in employment while delivering a net benefit to GDP of 1% (European Commission, 2014). The Europe 2020 strategy will necessitate changes in product and service delivery (lightweighting) and a requirement for systems to support the flows of materials at end of life for collection, separation and re-use. There is a demand for resource efficiency improvements across a range of industrial sectors and a need for whole supply chain cooperation to ensure maximum impact of the circular economy concept. However with current challenges over quality and quantity of products moving through reverse logistics networks (Niknejad & Petrovic, 2014), this will undoubtedly place a need on current infrastructure [logistics] to review working practices. Innovative solutions will be required by industry to deliver sustainable networks that support aligned flows of manufacturing processes delivering supply chain surplus (Zhong, 2009)