Environmental costs of returns alone is worth making the process more efficient, Latest CNBC story on this highlights it in great detail - The Hidden Costs of Amazon Shipping And Returns.
Some key statistics on returns in U.S. from that story -
- 16 million tons of carbon emissions each year are estimated from the returns.
- Up to 5.8 billion pounds of landfills each year.
Liquidation companies which sell these returned items in a lot directly to the consumers seems to be a profitable way to address this problem, There's a need-gap for such services in India.