Globalization policies are encouraging manufacturing companies to produce environment-friendly products that offer a sustainable competitive advantage. Currently, product recovery and zero-waste supply chains have caught the attention of manufacturers and professionals. Reverse logistics (RL) is considered as the most significant part of supply chain management in developed countries; unfortunately, its implementation in developing countries is in the initial stages due to certain barriers. This study aims to identify and verify the barriers to implementation of reverse logistics using a two-stage methodology: the Delphi Method and Structural Equation Modeling. A comprehensive literature review was considered to identify a primary set of barriers. Using the Delphi Method, a team of experts screened out barriers after performing three iterations. A survey-based questionnaire was then sent out to supply chain and logistics employees in the manufacturing industry and relevant government authorities. Five hundred and forty-seven useful responses were analyzed in the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) & AMOS 21 softwares using Structural Equation Modeling to verify barriers, and ranked according to their severity. The most critical barriers with respect to each category are: high cost of reverse logistics adoption (finance and economics), lack of skilled professionals (knowledge and experience), lack of government supportive policies (law and regulation), poor organizational culture (management), lack of human resources (infrastructure and technology), lack of environmental law awareness (environment), lack of community pressure (market) and company policies (reverse logistics in policy). Overall, the top five barriers found in this study include lack of initial capital, lack of skilled professional in RL, companies’ policies against RL, lack of new technologies and information systems, and lack of community pressure. Knowledge about barriers to reverse logistics allows manufacturing companies to prepare a priority list of actions for better implementation of the reverse logistics system.

Goal: COVID-19 has a drastic effect on world economic progress and different industries. As the main contributor to countries' economies, the construction industry faced multiple challenges due to pandemics. Therefore, it's essential to identify the impact of COVID-19 on the construction sector and develop safety practices in construction processes. This study proposed necessary construction practices and a crisis management framework needs to adopt in the COVID-19 scenario. Design/Methodology/Approach: At the first stage, data on negative impacts on the construction industry due to the pandemic was compiled. Then, experts were invited to propose emerging safety measures and practices to improve the safety of construction employees. Lastly, crises management framework was proposed, which provides an increased capability of taking measures during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Results showed that COVID-19 has an adverse effect on the construction sector of different developed and developing countries. Therefore, there is a need to incorporate proposed safety practices at construction sites and apply crises management framework to increase construction productivity during the pandemic. Limitations of the investigation: This study has certain limitations for instance the availability of data regarding construction sector was limited especially about small countries whose economies are not fully documented and construction sector is not regulated. The evaluation and assessment made in this study were generally subjective and it cannot be generalized to other sectors. This work could insist on enhancing the work plan for the future to encounter the uncertain circumstances for construction industry. Practical implications: This work will be useful for construction managers and policy makers to cope with COVID-19 and to adopt necessary safety measure for construction sector. This work also be helpful for other industry stakeholders to pinpoint risk management efforts that could be suitable for their firms. industrialists may use these research efforts to sort out the problem areas and propose an appropriate framework for industry. Originality/value: This study will provide guidelines to construction professionals for taking necessary measures to cope with COVID-19 and to apply a crises management framework.

Brownfield is post-industrial soil resulting from different anthropogenic activities and located in urban centers of cities. Due to the scarcity of urban land and the complexity of renovating old cities, and considering that brownfield research in Pakistan is still in its infancy, defining and evaluating brownfield is necessary for solving environmental issues and promoting sustainable development. Therefore, this study aims to develop a pioneer consensus-based brownfield definition, guidelines, and an evaluation index system to evaluate brownfield redevelopment in Pakistan. Initially, a comprehensive literature review was performed to gather key elements of brownfield definitions and create an evaluation index system. These indicators were further evaluated by different experts through the Delphi Method to develop a final questionnaire. Then, data were collected from relevant stakeholders. An illustrative example using three ideal schemes (housing society, eco-industrial park, and commercial market) is described to apply the evaluation index system. A new methodology combining Triangular Fuzzy Numbers (TFNs) and Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) was introduced to assess three ideal schemes. Finally, a pioneer brownfield definition, guidelines, and evaluation index system for brownfield redevelopment were developed, and a further index system was verified through an illustrative example. The standard brownfield definition, guidelines, and established index system is based on the Pakistani context. Due to changes in rules and regulation, and different land characteristics, these findings cannot be generalized to all developing countries. Therefore, further studies must validate the results in their own context. This study will foster brownfield redevelopment implementation in Pakistan and promote sustainable development.