Closed-loop supply chain research has primarily focused on discrete industries, leaving important issues involving waste disposal and re-use in process industries unaddressed. This exploratory study investigates re-use issues and practices related to process industry firms-from the producer's perspective-with the objective of identifying important issues that need further research in the field. Site visits were conducted to identify and clarify re-use issues unique to process industry firms for the purpose of developing a mail survey instrument. The mail survey provided detailed information about the sources of returned product and materials and the subsequent re-use decisions made by 141 different manufacturing facilities in a wide variety of process industries including chemicals, food, rubber, and plastics. Results indicate that process industry firms are quite diverse, that some common beliefs about re-use in process industry firms do not apply to all process types in these industries, and that research efforts are needed in the areas of network design and product acquisition; inventory; production planning and control; and scheduling. The paper concludes by identifying specific research questions important to re-use in process industry environments. #

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Purpose -The key objective of the paper is to present the results of a survey that captured a wideranging view of reuse practices in process industries with the intent of determining current practice and the key managerial issues for reuse in process industries. The paper discusses the sources of products and material for which re-use decisions must be made in process industry environments. It offers managerial insights for companies that seek opportunities to reduce their operating costs by reusing products, cleaning agents, and ingredients that can become available through a reverse supply chain analysis. Design/methodology/approach -The authors used an exploratory survey methodology with manufacturing plants randomly drawn from a professional organization where the members stated in their profiles that they were employed at a facility that was primarily involved with process manufacturing. Both internal and external returns were analyzed using descriptive statistics techniques. Findings -The results indicate that reverse networks for external returns must consider storage conditions and timing due to degradability. Also, tracking systems are necessary to monitor the product once it has left the facility due to contamination potential. Additionally, managers could benefit from development of a decision model to facilitate re-use decision-making. Originality/value -The emphasis is on exploring the nature of re-use in process industry plants and on bringing managerial issues to the attention of companies that are handling these returns and seeking to improve their performance on returns.