Green Reverse Logistics in Sri Lankan Apparel and Textile Industry: A Path Towards Sustainable Manufacturing

Green reverse logistics, a new branch of reverse logistics, is the process of taking back the products from their final destination back to the distributor or manufacturer for rework, replacement, or disposal in an environmentally friendly manner.

The apparel and textile industry is a significant contributor to the Sri Lankan economy, and the Sri Lankan economy is heavily dependent on the apparel and textile industry.

The industrial manufacturing processes of the apparel and textile industry are chemically aggressive, and the industry generates a heavy amount of post-industrial waste, including chemicals, dyes, fabric pieces, plastics, cardboards, and dyed water, which results in sustainability issues. The textile industry, being an industry that generates a massive amount of post-industrial waste, has been recognized by researchers as an industry that should adopt green reverse logistics to mitigate the generation of post-industrial waste.

The study examines the influence of green reverse technologies adopted by Sri Lankan apparel and textile companies in improving environmental sustainability. A qualitative multiple case study based on two leading Sri Lankan apparel and textile manufacturers was employed by the researcher.

The research findings highlighted that that production of synthetic fabric from PET polyester yarn, waste upcycling (e.g.: knitting lint-paper manufacturing, fabric rejects – production of rugs, bags etc.), sending out used oil to a certified company for re-refining, re-using the water used in dye machines, and dye clean and re-use projects are the key green reverse logistics practices adopted by Sri Lankan apparel and textile manufacturers. The research findings further indicated that green reverse techniques adopted by apparel and textile manufacturers result in a responsible and sustainable manufacturing process through promoting alternative uses of resources, using alternative energy sources, optimizing materials, and reusing materials.