For some type of consumer products such as clothing and small electronics reselling returned articles is more expensive than putting them to waste. Studies based on first hand data from the textile and electronics industries explain that one of the main reasons is the high cost of labour - the labour that is needed to handle the returns. 

This finding is now gaining attention in media - just in time for the upcoming holiday celebrations. Swedish radio is interviewing IIIEE researcher Carl Dalhammar. The message to consumers is that they should not expect that the products which they return are resold. Rather, consumers are encouraged to be careful making hasty decisions when shopping online and try to focus on fewer products with higher quality.

Listen to the news in the Swedish Radio (in Swedish only):

• "Forskare: Julklappen du skickar tillbaka slängs – billigare för företagen" (Sveriges Radio, P4 Malmöhus, 22 December 2022, Open access)

Read the newspaper articles (in Swedish only):

• ”Lämnar du tillbaka julklappen kommer den nog slängas” (Aftonbladet, 24 December 2022 - Open access)
• ”Forskare: Julklapparna du skickar tillbaka hamnar på tippen” (Göteborgsposten, 24 December 2022),  Paywall)
• ”Forskare varnar: Returnerade julklappar slängs istället för att säljas” (Sydsvenskan, 25 December 2022, Paywall)

Read the research article: 

• Product destruction: Exploring unsustainable production-consumption systems and appropriate policy responses (Science Direct, Open access)