Table 5 Flows in waste-to-resource SCs... | Emerald Publishing

Table 5

Flows in waste-to-resource SCs in comparison to forward and reverse SCs in consumer contexts

Flow	Waste-to-resource supply chain	Forward supply chain	Reverse supply chain
Supply	Supply push of material flows: lack of control over type, quality and quantity of incoming waste items with seasonal fluctuations of individually unique waste-products. No finance flow with suppliers. Instead, finances are provided via a service agreement for waste management. Disrupted information flow between suppliers and focal organization	Manufacturer requests items from suppliers based on forecast manufacturing plans determining the type and quantity of supplied items with consistent quality (Srai and Lorentz, 2019) or circularity in production (Farooque et al., 2024), leading to a predicable downstream material flow with related upstream finance flow and bi-directional information flow (Mentzer et al., 2001)	Returned products from customers, often within a short period from original purchase, leading to uncertain upstream material flow (Frei et al., 2020). This often corresponds with a downstream finance flow and information exchange between suppliers (of return products) and focal organization
Operations	Incoming waste items are in unique condition (because of different prior use patterns), which require labour-targeted processes for repair and refurbishment by skilled staff	Consistent material flow enables optimization of production processes, including potentially high levels of automation in production lines (Tortorella et al., 2019)	Inspection of returned products with subsequent reintegration into redistribution, remanufacturing or disassembly for spare parts (Blackburn et al., 2004; Guide and Van Wassenhove, 2009)
Operations	Information creation through detailed inspection following industry standards where applicable
Demand	Downstream material flows follow demand patterns, including seasonal fluctuations in terms of type and quantity of consumer products with location-specific sales patterns. Finance flows upstream following product sales. Information flows bi-directionally through downstream signaling of product characteristics by focal organization and upstream sales initiation by consumers	Downstream material flows follow demand patterns with seasonal fluctuations in terms of type and quantity of consumer products with location-specific sales patterns (Ye et al., 2024)	Downstream material flow enables widening of customer base through accessing new customers purchasing (lower priced) remanufactured products (Blackburn et al., 2004; Guide and Van Wassenhove, 2009). This is complemented by upstream finance flows and bi-directional information flows between the local organization and customers
Demand		Upstream finance flows complement material flows. Both are initiated by bi-directional information flows (Mentzer et al., 2001)

Flow	Waste-to-resource supply chain	Forward supply chain	Reverse supply chain
Supply	Supply push of material flows: lack of control over type, quality and quantity of incoming waste items with seasonal fluctuations of individually unique waste-products. No finance flow with suppliers. Instead, finances are provided via a service agreement for waste management. Disrupted information flow between suppliers and focal organization	Manufacturer requests items from suppliers based on forecast manufacturing plans determining the type and quantity of supplied items with consistent quality (Srai and Lorentz, 2019) or circularity in production (Farooque et al., 2024), leading to a predicable downstream material flow with related upstream finance flow and bi-directional information flow (Mentzer et al., 2001)	Returned products from customers, often within a short period from original purchase, leading to uncertain upstream material flow (Frei et al., 2020). This often corresponds with a downstream finance flow and information exchange between suppliers (of return products) and focal organization
Operations	Incoming waste items are in unique condition (because of different prior use patterns), which require labour-targeted processes for repair and refurbishment by skilled staff	Consistent material flow enables optimization of production processes, including potentially high levels of automation in production lines (Tortorella et al., 2019)	Inspection of returned products with subsequent reintegration into redistribution, remanufacturing or disassembly for spare parts (Blackburn et al., 2004; Guide and Van Wassenhove, 2009)
Operations	Information creation through detailed inspection following industry standards where applicable
Demand	Downstream material flows follow demand patterns, including seasonal fluctuations in terms of type and quantity of consumer products with location-specific sales patterns. Finance flows upstream following product sales. Information flows bi-directionally through downstream signaling of product characteristics by focal organization and upstream sales initiation by consumers	Downstream material flows follow demand patterns with seasonal fluctuations in terms of type and quantity of consumer products with location-specific sales patterns (Ye et al., 2024)	Downstream material flow enables widening of customer base through accessing new customers purchasing (lower priced) remanufactured products (Blackburn et al., 2004; Guide and Van Wassenhove, 2009). This is complemented by upstream finance flows and bi-directional information flows between the local organization and customers
Demand		Upstream finance flows complement material flows. Both are initiated by bi-directional information flows (Mentzer et al., 2001)

Source(s): Author’s own work