Title: Adoption of reverse logistics to waste plastic recycling: investigation of critical success factors in Ethiopia

Authors: Wogene Tesfaye Gobena; Daniel Kitaw Azene

Addresses: School of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Addis Ababa Institute of Technology, Addis Ababa University, King George VI St., Addis Ababa 1000, Ethiopia ' School of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Addis Ababa Institute of Technology, Addis Ababa University, King George VI St., Addis Ababa 1000, Ethiopia

Abstract: Plastic recycling is essential for sustainable development. However, the recycling rate is very low in Ethiopia. Most used plastics are not collected and returned in an organised way. Proper return of used plastics from the end-user to the recycling hub needs a systematised reverse logistics (RL) system. In the previous studies, the identification of critical factors for RL adoption has been conducted without considering the interaction between factors. But, RL is affected by multiple interacting issues. The objective of this paper is to identify the critical factors in considering the interaction between significant issues. Data was collected through a literature survey and questionnaires. The relative importance index and FDEMATEL-ANP methods were executed. The study revealed that stakeholder, social behaviour, and legislation exert a greater impact on RL. RL adoption is possible through the collective effort of stakeholders. This result is valuable for policymakers and the actors in the plastic sectors.

Keywords: solid waste management; plastic industry; waste plastic; plastic recovering; plastic recycling; reverse logistics; relative importance index; RII; fuzzy logic; DEMATEL; analytic network process; ANP; Ethiopia.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSSOC.2022.122129

International Journal of Sustainable Society, 2022 Vol.14 No.1, pp.43 - 76

Received: 13 Jan 2021
Accepted: 05 Jan 2022
Published online: 08 Apr 2022 *

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