4. The benefits of reverse logistics

Beyond environmental constraints, the main advantage of reverse logistics is that customers can now return products more and more often. There are several reasons for this.

It all started with ever-increasing competition. In order to sell more, companies offered customers the chance to return a product if it didn't meet their needs - hence the slogan "money back guarantee". Since then, returns have become commonplace, with consumers taking the opportunity to try out a product they wouldn't normally buy, and then returning it.

Another cause is mail order. Since the web has become popular worldwide, and shopping methods such as "La Redoute" and "Les 3 Suisses" (now mainly done online) have gained a certain notoriety, returns have never been so important. In the clothing sector, for example, people are unable to try on clothes, so they order...