A Digital Reverse Logistics Twin for Improving Sustainability in Industry 5.0

Abstract

The rapid development of information and communication technology (ICT) and digitalization in the Industry 5.0 era have opened up new opportunities for reverse logistics management to become digitalized, smarter, more sustainable, and simplified by incorporating disruptive technologies, e.g., Internet-of-things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), big data analysis, simulation, blockchain, etc. Digital twin is one of the most promising concepts in Industry 5.0, which can re-create a physical object or system in the digital world. In this paper, different from the widely practiced product-based definitions, we extend this concept to a system-oriented digital reverse logistics twin. Based on a conceptual framework allowing for a high level of system integration, we present the key enabling elements for a digital reverse logistics twin that can support decisions in a complex and uncertain environment. Through an illustrative example of a remanufacturing network design problem in Norway, the initial proof-of-concept illustrates how different systems and models can be combined in a digital reverse logistics twin in order to support different decisions.