Digital Reverse Logistics Twin 5.0 (DigiRL 5.0) – Enabling Human-Centricity in Data-Driven Decision-Making and Flexible Automation

Imagine a world where products reaching the end of their life are not treated as waste, but as valuable resources. Instead of being discarded, they are intelligently collected, remanufactured, or recycled through smart systems that benefit both people and the planet. Reverse logistics focuses on the efficient flow of materials, information, and capital to recover value from used products while ensuring proper disposal of non-recyclables. It plays a critical role in the circular economy, especially for complex products such as electric vehicle (EV) batteries. Yet, sustainable reverse logistics faces major challenges, including economic viability, uncertain timing and quality of returns, and the coordination of multiple stakeholders across complex networks.

At the same time, society is entering the Fifth Industrial Revolution, known as Industry 5.0. Unlike earlier industrial shifts, Industry 5.0 emphasizes human-centricity, sustainability, and resilience. Advanced technologies such as AI are not meant to replace people, but to support human decision-making and create safer, more flexible working environments. The Digital Reverse Logistics Twin 5.0 (DigiRL 5.0) builds on this vision. A digital reverse logistics twin is a living digital replica of the reverse logistics system, continuously connected to real-world data.

When a product such as an EV battery reaches the end of its life, it can automatically provide information about its condition, location, and expected return time. Based on this data, AI-enabled optimization and simulation tools dynamically plan collection routes, schedule transport, and update decisions in real time as conditions change. These decisions support daily operations by guiding drivers, improving vehicle utilization, enhancing safety, and reducing carbon emissions and traffic congestion. Beyond transportation, the same product information is used to configure remanufacturing and recycling processes. Human workers and robotic systems collaborate in flexible, reconfigurable workstations, where automation handles repetitive tasks while humans maintain oversight, judgment, and adaptability, aiming toward higher effectiveness and a better working environment.