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plastics are made of raw materials like natural gas, oil or plants, which are refined into ethane and propane. The production of plastic begins with the destination of crude oil in an oil refinery

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An overwhelming quantity of today's lithium is extracted from liquid brine reservoirs that are located beneath salt flats, known as salars, most of which are located in southwestern South America and China. Other lithium-rich brine resources include geothermal and oil field brines, which are addressed below.

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Raw prime materials and their function:

cobalt ; used in the battery

platinum ; used in the composition of the exterior of the phone

tantalum ; used in battery for storing electricity

lithium ; used in the battery

glass ; used in the screen of the phone

silicon ; silicon chips are used to power the phone's processor, memory, camera and many other important features

plastic ; used in the exterior part of the phone and to protect it's screen when bought

iron ; used to make electrodes in mobile phone batteries, every phone is about 3% iron

copper ; transistors in the circuit boards

tin ; soldering in the circuit boards

nickel ; in the buttons and in the metallic frames

tangsten ; used in the component that makes the phone vibrate

gold ; wire coating in the circuit boards

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Platinum is a toxic metal. It's extraction can be very dangeorus because it is consisted of mine walls being drilled and explosives placed inside it, with hopes of finding platinum, which is a rare material.

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The basic process for producing silicon has remained unchanged for decades: quartz or gravel is blended with a carbon source and superheated in a submerged arc furnace. As the mix heats, the carbon reacts with the oxygen in the quartz and forms CO gas, thereby reducing the quartz to 99% silicon in molten form.

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in this picture we can see how the mining of lithium is made

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lithium : the extraction of lithium can harm the environment by being the toxic material that we know polluting the air and water with chemicals and heavy metals. It's mining also has some problems, which could be disrupting wildlife habitats and causing soil erosion, leading to a long term wildlife damage

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Platinum can damage the environment and people in many ways. It is a toxic metal, which can cause serious health conditions in the working place environment, one of this conditions being skin allergy. As mentioned before, it's mining can also be very dangerous for the wildlife and environment, such as for us humans with the use of explosives

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Silicone is not toxic but it has a long lifespan which means it can persist in the environment for years without breaking down. Meaning that it would take increased landfills of waste and potentially even ecosystem disruption worldwide. If wildlife ingest silicone it would be very bad for them, leading to many deaths.

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In this image we can see the potential dangerousness that plastic can do to the wildlife, especially in the sea

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Plastic does not decompose naturally like other materials do. This is because it takes up to a millennium for it to decompose when it is disposed of, it accumulates in the environment until a crisis is reached. In addition to harming soil and groundwater and choking marine life, this pollution can have detrimental effects on human health.

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In 2022, the top exporters of silicone were United Kingdom, Japan, United States, Germany and China being the top exporter earning over 2.2 billion dollars for it. It's price for their exportation isn't cheap, being more expensive than most rubber types. Also in 2022, the top importers of silicone were Belgium, Germany, South Korea, China and the top importer being the United States with over 1.2 billion dollars spent on silicone

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In 2022 the top exporter of plastic was China, with over the double of the money earned than the second country being the United States with 20 billion dollars earned. The approximate price of plastic is 3.42 dollars per kilogram to make. The countries who imported plastic the most in 2022 were the United States, with approximately 132 billion dollars spent on this material.

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The majority of platinum mines are located in South Africa, with over 120 thousand kilos of platinum mined in 2021. The top importer of platinum in 2022 is, without any surprise, the United States with over 13 billion dollars spent on this metal. That amounted to around 18.5 percent of global platinum imports that year

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The countries that lithium is extracted the most from are Australia, Zimbabwe and Brazil. Lithium is very cheap compared with many other metals. China is the largest importer of lithium, representing over 25% of the global imports, followed by the United States in second place with around 15% of the total of global imports.

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According to the website World Economic Forum there are more cellphones than people worldwide. Around 5.6 billion people owning at least one mobile phone, which corresponds to around 70 percent of the world's total population which is around 8 billion people. The two top producers of phones are Samsung, originally from South Korea, and Apple, originally from the United States, owning the most famous model of them all, the Iphone. There is an estimated of 1.46 billion active iphone users. These phones brand make a lot of models and very frequent. This is because they want the buyers to fell more and more outdated, there so being "forced" to buy the a newer model out, which in their head could "elevate" their social status, which is a wrong way of thinking. Many phones are designed to stop working, some times even being planed on their software, to a certain time, the phone getting slower, and slower over time, getting to a point that they aren't usable anymore, therefore making you buy another phone, probably being a new one. In this world you can't live without a phone.

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Old cell phones are frequently dumped in landfills or relegated to forgotten drawers as buyers enthusiastically switch to the newest versions. However, their adventure is not over yet. If not properly handled, these device which are made of a variety of precious metals and material pose serious environmental risks.
Cell phones and other abandoned electronic equipment are collectively referred to as "e-waste," which adds to resource depletion and hazardous pollution

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The countries that make the most phones are China, South Korea and Japan. According to OEC World, the top importers of cellphones in 2022 were the United States coming in first place for most money spent of phones (62.8 billion dollars) and Hong Kong coming in second place with 34.7 billion dollars spent. Also according, to OEC World, the top exporters of mobile phones in 2022 were China, earning around 171 billion dollars, and in second place coming Vietnam, gaining 36.5 billion dollars. The average price of cellphones sold in stores is around 790 dollars. The price that the companies spend is a lot lower from their retail price. For example, according to the website TechWalls, the production price for a iphone 12 (64GB) is 374 dollars, therefore the retail price comes over double of the production price, being 829 dollars.

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Reverse logistic, also called reverse distribution is a stage in the supply chain. This stage consists where the product is returned to the point of sale to the manufacturer. This makes so, there's less products thrown out. This also helps process of recycling.

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importers and exporters of cellphones : https://oec.world/en/profile/hs/smartphones

cost of cellphones : https://www.techwalls.com/production-costs-of-smartphones/comment-page-1/

discard of cellphones : https://www.notepage.net/mobile/how-to-dispose-of-cell-phones.html

raw materials of cellphones : https://lah.elearningontario.ca/CMS/public/exported_courses/CGW4U/exported/CGW4UU4/CGW4UU4/CGW4UU4A6/_teacher/factsheet3_mobile_phone_manufacturing.pdf

https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=22121

extraction of phones raw materials : https://thisisplastics.com/plastics-101/how-are-plastics-made/#:~:text=Plastics%20are%20made%20from%20raw,refined%20into%20ethane%20and%20propane.&text=Ethane%20and%20propane%20are%20then,them%20into%20ethylene%20and%20propylene.&text=These%20materials%20are%20combined%20together%20to%20create%20different%20polymers.

https://www.coolclean.com/industries/additional-applications/silicone-extraction/

https://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/education/precious-metal-mining-refining-techniques/platinum-mining-refining/#:~:text=Most%20of%20the%20mining%20for,Platinum%20production%20in%20South%20Africa.

https://systems.carmeuse.com/en/industries/lithium-extraction/#:~:text=How%20is%20lithium%20extracted%3F,crushing%2C%20roasting%20and%20acid%20leaching.

reverse logistics : https://www.repsol.com/en/energy-and-the-future/future-of-the-world/reverse-logistics/index.cshtml#:~:text=Reverse%20logistics%20or%20reverse%20distribution,repair%2C%20recycling%2C%20or%20disposal.

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Have you ever had a drink that came a glass bottle in a restaurant? Or bought a product online? These two actions have more in common than you think, and it's because they're possible thanks to reverse logistics.

When we drink a soda in a glass bottle at a restaurant, the bottle returns to its point of origin to be reused for a new drink. And when we want to return a product that we purchased online, we have this same option by following the distributor's instructions. In other words, both cases have in common that a selective collection channel has been enabled.

Reverse logistics or reverse distribution is a stage in the supply chain in which the product is returned from the point of sale to the manufacturer or distributor for recovery, repair, recycling, or disposal.

If in conventional logistics the product is moved from point A to point B, in reverse logistics, it's returned from point B to point A. This way, each company establishes a channel for waste recovery (industrial, electronic, construction, etc.), depending on the type of activity it carries out and its needs. Therefore, reverse logistics is part of a company's value chain, as it's an additional link that's added to optimize the production process and customer loyalty.

In addition, reverse logistics is related to the circular economy because its main goal is to recycle or reuse products and materials to extend their life cycle as much as possible. And, consequently, decrease the use of the planet's natural resources.

So, what's the main objective of reverse logistics?

The main objective of reverse logistics is to manage the flow of products, materials and resources from the final consumer to the origin of the supply chain in order to maximize their value and minimize their environmental impact.

Reduce: It refers to the reduction of the environmental impact by minimizing the use of materials and resources in the production, packaging, and distribution of products. Reduction can also be achieved by optimizing inventory management and preventing returns.

Reuse: It's how products and materials are reused to extend their useful life. It can be achieved by repairing, refurbishing, and remanufacturing returned products.

Recycle: This is the process of recovering and transforming materials to reuse them manufacture new products. Recycling helps reduce the amount of waste and minimize the environmental impact of products at the end of their useful life.

These three practices together make up the 3Rs of reverse logistics and are essential for sustainability and efficiency in supply chain management.

Types of reverse logistics

Taking into account the process or treatment given to the product that is returned to the manufacturer or distributor, we can classify reverse logistics into two types:

What can reverse logistics be used for?

It is important to emphasize that depending on the sector in which you operate, the elements of reverse logistics may vary. However, the most common process that's followed is:

1. Collecting goods: Consists of the collection of the products. Depending on the type of goods and the conditions of the service, the manufacturer may indicate guidelines to be followed for proper management.

2. Sorting goods: Once collected, the products are sorted by category and prepared for the next steps in the process.

3. Return to warehouse: After sorting, the route of the products to be returned to the source warehouse is determined.

4. Destruction of unserviceable goods: Products that have been classified as broken are destroyed and deposited at the appropriate points for this purpose, considering the type of material.

5. Recovery, recycling, and management of materials: Products classified as reusable or recyclable are managed to extend their useful life cycle. In this phase of the process, it is very important to pay attention to those that require special management such as construction waste or electronic equipment.

6. Administrative processes and follow-up of operations: To finalize the reverse logistics process, the required documents must be completed. By doing so, the execution of each of the operations is duly documented.

Benefits of reverse logistics

Because of its multiple benefits, many sectors are committed to this strategy aimed at extending the life cycle of products and processes:

In short, when there is greater control over the product, more efficient action is taken at all process stages. This translates into better service for society, less environmental impact, and greater profitability for companies.

Current examples of reverse logistics

Reverse logistics is a crucial process in supply chain management that involves recovering products and materials after their use or distribution. This practice focuses on several key areas:

Returns management is an important area in reverse logistics as it focuses on quickly, controllably, visibly, and directly processing customer returns or preventing them from occurring in the first place. Customers consider the flow of returns and return policies when evaluating the quality of a company.

Remanufacturing or refurbishing involves the repair, rebuilding, and reprocessing of products that have been returned or have reached the end of their useful life. Packaging management focuses on reusing packaging materials to reduce waste and minimize disposal.

Reverse logistics for unsold goods deals with returns from retailers to manufacturers or distributors. This can be due to poor sales, excess inventory, or delivery refusal. End-of-life is another important aspect of reverse logistics as it refers to the proper handling of products that are no longer useful or do not work.

Lastly, reverse logistics also handles undelivered products, which are returned by drivers to sorting centers and then returned to the point of origin.

At Repsol, we manage resources efficiently to strengthen our value chain in which we prioritize the satisfaction of our customers and employees and the positive impact on society and the environment.

Therefore, some of the actions we have taken are the implementation of a reverse logistics system in which we optimize the useful life of the containers in which the products are marketed and contribute to the development of clean technologies with non-labelable oils. We also work with environmentally committed suppliers and purchase pellets from responsibly managed forests.

In addition, following our commitment to sustainability, we have the Circular Economy Business Strategy Certification granted by AENOR (Spanish Association for Standardization and Certification) in which waste management plays a key role. As stated by Ismael Pereda, Sr. Manager at Repsol, "The goal is to recover 100% of waste, providing circular solutions throughout the value chain."

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What is reverse logistics and what are its benefits? | Repsol

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Discover how reverse logistics is a key element in the circular economy, and it help businesses. We tell you all about its main benefits.