Abstract
Manufacturers have experienced institutional pressures in the form of market and regulatory demands to conform to the standards dictated by environmental regulations. The primary forces are studied for three industry sectors (automotive, consumer appliances and electronic) to close the supply chain loop in the product lifecycle. The first deals with identifying the drivers of a growing market for recycled and remanufactured products. The second relates to the creation of economically efficient end-of-life product returns and reuse/recycling practices. The third deals with enabling supply chain coordination for redesign of products, disassembly methods and practices, and services.