E-WEEE: used products return to webshop

To promote the recycling of electrical appliances and stop illegal export to developing countries, the European Commission has decided that online shops have to accept used electronics. Is this a catastrophe for web shops or just a logical consequence of the current WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) regulations?

A EU press release states that consumers should be able to return an extremely small amount of electrical waste free of charge to web shops. This obviously raises questions: can such a discarded article only be submitted to the shop where it was purchased, or to any shop that sells such products? And can an article always be returned or only when a new product is purchased?

Logistical questions
Much more interesting even are the logistical questions: Which smart channels can be used to return these products? Does the webshop want all these products in its fulfillment center or preferably via a smart bypass to a recycling company? Should all products go directly into the recycling process or should we keep some valuable products for reuse? How to arrange return logistics for international webshops? Can webshops gain commercial advantage from this obligation?

Questions all webshops will have but who has the answers?

One thing is clear: reverse logistics is the next challenge for the growing world of e-commerce to work on.

Source: Logistiek.nl