A Returnable Transport Item to Integrate Logistics 4.0 and Circular Economy in Pharma Supply Chains

Abstract

Recent global events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the climate crisis, force the pharma logistics sector to rapidly improve their processes and establish more resilient and sustainable medical supply chains. For this purpose, the pharma logistics sector needs to catch up in Industry 4.0 adoption and establish circular economies. In the context of the applied research project DigiPharmaLogNet, a prototypic returnable transport item (RTI) is enhanced with communication technology and piloted in pharma-specific use-cases. The results will build the base for developing business models and roadmaps towards sustainable pharma logistics networks. This article describes the technological developments and economical evaluations of potential business models.