Mapping the Intersection of Reverse Logistics and Sustainability: Research Trends and Specific Future Research Topics through Bibliometrics

Reverse logistics has garnered substantial attention from both organizations and scholars due to its advantages in promoting sustainability, especially in the face of global resource shortages and rising pollution levels. This study undertakes a bibliometric analysis of reverse logistics (RL) and sustainability to reveal its research trends, conceptual framework, and potential future research topics. The investigation started by defining search keywords that lead to a search string, data collection, cleaning, and analysis. Using performance analysis and science mapping techniques, this study examined a dataset comprising 1308 publications from Scopus. A novel sub-set visualization analysis in the extension of the science mapping technique was conducted to generate specific future research topics. The findings indicate a notable rise in research activity on reverse logistics and sustainability, reflecting an increasing recognition of global issues. The analysis highlighted a dominant focus on closed-loop supply chains and durable products, while open-loop supply chains and non-durable goods, such as food, have been less explored. This imbalance points to a notable gap in the existing literature. Science mapping through network visualization identified five primary cluster themes. Additionally, the sub-set visualization of co-word analysis provides a detailed view of the sub-set conceptual network, helping to identify related keywords and develop both potential future main topics and sub-topics. Based on these insights, the study recommends that future research should focus on exploring open-loop supply chains and prioritizing non-durable products, particularly food products.