Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Dirty Little Secret? Conducting a Systematic Literature Review Regarding Overstocks

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Logistics Management (LM 2023)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Logistics ((LNLO))

Included in the following conference series:

  • 309 Accesses

Abstract

Due to numerous media reports, overstocks in supply chains have recently attracted attention alongside the public sustainability debate. The goal of this paper is to aggregate the current body of knowledge and develop a better understanding regarding (1) the quantification of overstocks (what?), (2) the management approaches used (how?), and (3) the motives of managing overstocks (why?). The review synthesizes 48 relevant publications that were systematically gathered from three of the leading scientific databases. Based on the results of the review, a research agenda is derived that identifies ten particularly promising avenues for future investigations. Furthermore, the review shows that the existing knowledge about overstocks and the way they are managed is not only limited, but also very fragmented. A holistic perspective is missing, which motivates this paper to call for a conceptualization in the sense of an “overstock management” function. To initiate this process, a definition of the term is proposed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Agarwal, A., Giraud-Carrier, F.: Green supply chain management adoption in midwest manufacturing: the role of suppliers. SAM Adv. Manag. J. 83(3), 4–16 (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Appendix. A Dirty Little Secret Conducting a Systematic Literature Review Regarding Overstocks (2023). https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.22495369

  3. Arrow, K.J., Harris, T., Marschak, J.: Optimal inventory policy. Econometrica 19(3), 250–272 (1951). https://doi.org/10.2307/1906813

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. BuyBay: Return & Overstock Management. A Smile in Return. https://www.buybay.com/en/. Accessed 14 December 2022

  5. Caplan, P.: Win-Win?: food poverty, food aid and food surplus in the UK today. Anthropol. Today 33(3), 17–22 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8322.12350

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Chaplain, C.: Burberry Burned $37 Million Worth of Goods to Stop Them Being Stolen or Sold Cheaply (2018). https://www.businessinsider.com/burberry-burned-37-million-of-goods-to-protect-its-brand-2018-7. Accessed 5 Dec 2022

  7. Cicatiello, C., Franco, S.: Disclosure and assessment of unrecorded food waste at retail stores. J. Retail. Consum. Serv. 52, 1–10 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.101932

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Cicatiello, C., Franco, S., Pancino, B., Blasi, E.: The value of food waste: an exploratory study on retailing. J. Retail. Consum. Serv. 30, 96–104 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2016.01.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Cicatiello, C., Franco, S., Pancino, B., Blasi, E., Falasconi, L.: The dark side of retail food waste: evidences from in-store data. Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 125, 273–281 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.06.010

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Cicatiello, C., Blasi, E., Giordano, C., Martella, A., Franco, S.: “If Only I Could Decide”: opinions of food category managers on in-store food waste. Sustainability 12(20), 1–19 (2020). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12208592

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Cooper, C., Booth, A., Britten, N., Garside, R.: A comparison of results of empirical studies of supplementary search techniques and recommendations in review methodology handbooks: a methodological review. Syst. Rev. 6(1), 1–16 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-017-0625-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Cottrill, K.: Turning trash into profit. J. Bus. Strateg. 18(4), 30–35 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1108/eb039869

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Council of the European Union: Council Adopts a Temporary ‘Buy and Donate’ VAT Exemption (2021). https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2021/07/13/council-adopts-a-temporary-buy-and-donate-vat-exemption/. Accessed 14 Dec 2022

  14. Curtis, A., Hansson, A.: Examining the viability of corporate recycling initiatives and their overall environmental impact: the case of nike grind and the reuse-a-shoe program. Case Stud. Environ. 3(1), 1–7 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1525/cse.2019.001974

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Darlington, R., Rahimifard, S.: Hybrid two-stage planning for food industry overproduction waste minimization. Int. J. Prod. Res. 45(18–19), 4273–4288 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1080/00207540701474773

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Darlington, R., Staikos, T., Rahimifard, S.: Analytical methods for waste minimisation in the convenience food industry. Waste Manag. 29(4), 1274–1281 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2008.08.027

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Dellino, G., Mari, R., Meloni, C.: Waste reduction in fresh food supply chains: an operations research approach. In: Morone, P., Papendiek, F., Tartiu, V.E. (eds.) Food Waste Reduction and Valorisation, pp. 235–259. Springer, Cham (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50088-1_12

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  18. Demetriou, P.: Hotel food waste in cyprus: an exploratory case study of hotels in limassol. Cogent Social Sci. 8(1), 1–32 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2022.2026556

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Denyer, D., Tranfield, D.: Producing a systematic review. In: Buchanan, D.A., Bryman, A. (eds.) The Sage Handbook of Organizational Research Methods, pp. 671–689. SAGE, Los Angeles (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Durach, C.F., Kembro, J., Wieland, A.: A new paradigm for systematic literature reviews in supply chain management. J. Supply Chain Manag. 53(4), 67–85 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12145

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Durach, C.F., Kembro, J.H., Wieland, A.: How to advance theory through literature reviews in logistics and supply chain management. Int. J. Phys. Distrib. Logist. Manag. 51(10), 1090–1107 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPDLM-11-2020-0381

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Eriksson, M., Strid, I., Hansson, P.-A.: Food losses in six swedish retail stores: wastage of fruit and vegetables in relation to quantities delivered. Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 68, 14–20 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2012.08.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Eriksson, M., Strid, I., Hansson, P.-A.: Waste of organic and conventional meat and dairy products—a case study from Swedish retail. Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 83, 44–52 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2013.11.011

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Eriksson, M., Strid, I., Hansson, P.-A.: Food waste reduction in supermarkets – net costs and benefits of reduced storage temperature. Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 107, 73–81 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2015.11.022

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Eriksson, M., Ghosh, R., Mattsson, L., Ismatov, A.: Take-back agreements in the perspective of food waste generation at the supplier-retailer interface. Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 122, 83–93 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.02.006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. European Economic and Social Committee: Food Waste Project (2014). https://www.eesc.europa.eu/en/our-work/publications-other-work/project/food-waste-project. Accessed 5 Dec 2022

  27. Filimonau, V., Gherbin, A.: An exploratory study of food waste management practices in the UK grocery retail sector. J. Clean. Prod. 167, 1184–1194 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.07.229

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Filimonau, V., Krivcova, M., Pettit, F.: An exploratory study of managerial approaches to food waste mitigation in coffee shops. Int. J. Hosp. Manag. 76, 48–57 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2018.04.010

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Garrone, P., Melacini, M., Peergo, A., Pollo, M.: Opening the black box of food waste reduction. Food Policy 46, 129–139 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2014.03.014

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Garrone, P., Melacini, M., Perego, A.: Surplus food recovery and donation in italy: the upstream process. Brit. Food J. 116(9), 1460–1477 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-02-2014-0076

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Garrone, P., Melacini, M., Perego, A., Sert, S.: Reducing food waste in food manufacturing companies. J. Clean. Prod. 137, 1076–1085 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.07.145

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Ghosh, R., Eriksson, M.: Food waste due to retail power in supply chains: evidence from Sweden. Glob. Food Sec. 20, 1–8 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2018.10.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Goodman-Smith, F., Mirosa, M., Skeaff, S.: A mixed-methods study of retail food waste in New Zealand. Food Policy 92, 1–12 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2020.101845

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Gustavo, J.U., et al.: Green marketing in supermarkets: conventional and digitized marketing alternatives to reduce waste. J. Clean. Prod. 296, 1–14 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126531

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Gustavsson, J., Stage, J.: Retail waste of horticultural products in Sweden. Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 55(5), 554–556 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2011.01.007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Hamilton, H.A., Peverill, M.S., Müller, D.B., Brattebø, H.: Assessment of food waste prevention and recycling strategies using a multilayer systems approach. Environ. Sci. Technol. 49(24), 13937–13945 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b03781

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Horoś, I.K., Ruppenthal, T.: Avoidance of food waste from a grocery retail store owner’s perspective. Sustainability 13(2), 1–22 (2021). https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020550

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Houssard, C., Maxime, D., Pouliot, Y., Margni, M.: Allocation is not enough! a system boundaries expansion approach to account for production and consumption synergies: the environmental footprint of greek yogurt. J. Clean. Prod. 283, 1–14 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.124607

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Huang, I.Y., et al.: Food waste management: a review of retailers’ business practices and their implications for sustainable value. J. Clean. Prod. 285, 1–15 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.125484

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Justen, G.S., Froehlich, A.G., Luppi, L., de Moraes, S.: Using biomass for power generation: case study of a timber industry Aripuanã-MT. Int. J. Environ. Sustain. Dev. 13(4), 382–394 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1504/IJESD.2014.064963

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Kitchenham, B.A., Budgen, D., Brereton, P.: Evidence-Based Software Engineering and Systematic Reviews. Chapman and Hall/CRC, New York (2015)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  42. Lagorio, A., Pinto, R., Golini, R.: Food waste reduction in school canteens: evidence from an Italian case. J. Clean. Prod. 199, 77–84 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.07.077

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Lebersorger, S., Schneider, F.: Food loss rates at the food retail, influencing factors and reasons as a basis for waste prevention measures. Waste Manag. 34(11), 1911–1919 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2014.06.013

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Liao, C., Hong, J., Zhao, D.: Understanding corporate surplus food donation in China: testing the roles of environmental concern, altruism, past experience, and perceived risk. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 26(16), 16628–16640 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05058-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Liljestrand, K.: Logistics solutions for reducing food waste. Int. J. Phys. Distrib. Logist. Manag. 47(4), 318–339 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1108/ijpdlm-03-2016-0085

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Lokad: Overstocks in Fashion (with Jan Wilmking) Ep 76 (2020). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV5Oxz0qEss. Accessed 2 Oct 2022

  47. Mattsson, L., Williams, H., Berghel, J.: Waste of fresh fruit and vegetables at retailers in sweden – measuring and calculation of mass, economic cost and climate impact. Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 130, 118–126 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.10.037

    Article  Google Scholar 

  48. Mei, Z., Xu, M., Luo, S., Tan, Y., Li, H.: Concrete formwork reuse in a supply chain with dynamic changes using ABMS and discrete events. J. Clean. Prod. 332, 1–22 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.130038

    Article  Google Scholar 

  49. Mena, C., Adenso-Diaz, B., Yurt, O.: The causes of food waste in the supplier-retailer interface: evidences from the UK and spain. Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 55(6), 648–658 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2010.09.006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  50. Mena, C., Terry, L.A., Williams, A., Ellram, L.: Causes of waste across multi-tier supply networks: cases in the UK food sector. Int. J. Prod. Econ. 152, 144–158 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2014.03.012

    Article  Google Scholar 

  51. Mentzer, J.T., et al.: Defining supply chain management. J. Bus. Logist. 22(2), 1–25 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2158-1592.2001.tb00001.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  52. Messner, R., Richards, C., Johnson, H.: The “Prevention Paradox”: food waste prevention and the quandary of systemic surplus production. Agric. Hum. Values 37(3), 805–817 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-019-10014-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  53. Messner, R., Johnson, H., Richards, C.: From surplus-to-waste: a study of systemic overproduction, surplus and food waste in horticultural supply chains. J. Clean. Prod. 278, 1–11 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.123952

    Article  Google Scholar 

  54. Mourad, M.: Recycling, recovering and preventing “food waste”: competing solutions for food systems sustainability in the United States and France. J. Clean. Prod. 126, 461–477 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.03.084

    Article  Google Scholar 

  55. Neuendorf, K.A.: The Content Analysis Guidebook. SAGE, Los Angeles (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  56. Page, M.J., et al.: The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ 372, 1–9 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71

    Article  Google Scholar 

  57. PRISMA. Transparent Reporting of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. https://prisma-statement.org/. Accessed 2 Oct 2022

  58. Redlingshöfer, B., Coudurier, B., Georget, M.: Quantifying food loss during primary production and processing in France. J. Clean. Prod. 164, 703–714 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.06.173

    Article  Google Scholar 

  59. Riesenegger, L., Hübner, A.: Reducing food waste at retail stores—an explorative study. Sustainability 14(5), 1–21 (2022). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052494

    Article  Google Scholar 

  60. Rombach, M., Ricchieri, F., Bitsch, V.: Food Recovery and food redistribution in Italy. In: Pennisi, G., Cremonini, L., Georgiadis, T., Orsini, F., Gianquinto, G.P. (eds.) International Symposium on Greener Cities for More Efficient Ecosystem Services in a Climate Changing World, pp. 301–306. ISHS, Leuven (2018). https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2018.1215.55

  61. Rosenlund, J., Nyblom, Å., Matschke Ekholm, H., Sörme, L.: The emergence of food waste as an issue in Swedish retail. Brit. Food J. 122(11), 3283–3296 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-03-2020-0181

    Article  Google Scholar 

  62. Sato, M., Hatta, K., Higuchi, W., Hayashida, T., Hotta, K., Wunderlich, S.M.: Efforts to reduce food loss in restaurants and to assess consumer awareness in Japan. In: Casares Long, J. (ed.) Environmental Impact V. International Conference on Environmental and Economic Impact on Sustainable Development, 6 Oct–6 Dec 2020, pp. 21–30. WIT Press, Southampton (2020). https://doi.org/10.2495/EID200031

  63. Scholz, K., Eriksson, M., Strid, I.: Carbon footprint of supermarket food waste. Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 94, 56–65 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2014.11.016

    Article  Google Scholar 

  64. Sert, S., Garrone, P., Melacini, M., Perego, A.: Surplus food redistribution for social purposes: analysis of critical success factors. In: Escajedo San Epifanio, L., de Renobales, M. (eds.) Envisioning a Future without Food Waste and Food Poverty: Societal Challenges, pp. 79–85. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  65. Sert, S., Garrone, P., Melacini, M., Perego, A.: Surplus food redistribution for social purposes: the case of coop lombardia. In: Cagliano, R., Caniato, F.F.A., Worley, C.G. (eds.) Organizing Supply Chain Processes for Sustainable Innovation in the Agri-Food Industry. Organizing for Sustainable Effectiveness, vol. 5, pp. 153–173. Bingley, Emerald (2016)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  66. Sert, S., Garrone, P., Melacini, M., Perego, A.: Corporate food donations: altruism, strategy or cost saving? Brit. Food J. 120(7), 1628–1642 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-08-2017-0435

    Article  Google Scholar 

  67. Song, R., Feng, X., Wang, Y.: Feasible heat recovery of interplant heat integration between two plants via an intermediate medium analyzed by interplant shifted composite curves. Appl. Therm. Eng. 94, 90–98 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2015.10.125

    Article  Google Scholar 

  68. Sundgren, C.: Supply chain structures for distributing surplus food. Int. J. Logist. Manag. 31(4), 865–883 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLM-10-2019-0267

    Article  Google Scholar 

  69. vom Brocke, J., et al.: Reconstructing the giant: on the importance of rigour in documenting the literature search process. In: European Conference on Information Systems, Verona, Italy, pp. 1–11 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  70. Waltman, L.: A review of the literature on citation impact indicators. J. Informet. 10(2), 365–391 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2016.02.007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  71. Watanabe, E.A.d.M., Nascimento, C.R.d., Freitas, M.G.M.T. de, Viana, M.M.: Food waste: an exploratory investigation of causes, practices and consequences perceived by brazilian supermarkets and restaurants. Brit. Food J. 124(3), 1022–1045 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-01-2021-0045

  72. Webster, J., Watson, R.T.: Analyzing the past to prepare for the future: writing a literature review. MIS Q. 26(2), xiii–xxiii (2002). https://doi.org/10.2307/4132319

  73. Wu, G.-C., Ding, J.-H., Chen, P.-S.: The effects of GSCM drivers and institutional pressures on GSCM practices in Taiwan’s textile and apparel industry. Int. J. Prod. Econ. 135(2), 618–636 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2011.05.023

    Article  Google Scholar 

  74. Wu, D.: Coordination of competing supply chains with news-vendor and buyback contract. Int. J. Prod. Econ. 144(1), 1–13 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2011.11.032

    Article  Google Scholar 

  75. Xiao, Y., Watson, M.: Guidance on conducting a systematic literature review. J. Plan. Educ. Res. 39(1), 93–112 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X17723971

    Article  Google Scholar 

  76. Zhu, J., Liu, W.: A tale of two databases: the use of Web of Science and Scopus in academic papers. Scientometrics 123(1), 321–335 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-020-03387-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgment

This research was in part financially supported by the German Umweltbundesamt (Project number: FKZ 3721 33 304).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Bamberg, Feldkirchenstr. 21, 96050, Bamberg, Germany

    Björn Asdecker, Manette Tscherner, Nikolas Kurringer & Vanessa Felch

Authors
  1. Björn Asdecker
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Manette Tscherner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Nikolas Kurringer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Vanessa Felch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Björn Asdecker .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Business and Economics, TU Dresden, Dresden, Sachsen, Germany

    Udo Buscher

  2. Faculty of Business and Economics, TU Dresden, Dresden, Sachsen, Germany

    Janis S. Neufeld

  3. Faculty of Business and Economics, TU Dresden, Dresden, Sachsen, Germany

    Rainer Lasch

  4. “Friedrich List” Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences, TU Dresden, Dresden, Sachsen, Germany

    Jörn Schönberger

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Asdecker, B., Tscherner, M., Kurringer, N., Felch, V. (2023). A Dirty Little Secret? Conducting a Systematic Literature Review Regarding Overstocks. In: Buscher, U., Neufeld, J.S., Lasch, R., Schönberger, J. (eds) Logistics Management. LM 2023. Lecture Notes in Logistics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-38145-4_13

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation