After some time spent without a permanent conduit for networking, the reverse logistics community has a new organization to give companies in that sector a place to connect, with familiar faces leading the way.
The Reverse Logistics Network (RLN) launched earlier this month to give people across the recycling, returns, recovery, repair and resale spaces an independent professional community, according to Jeremy Vick, RLN president and co-founder.
It brings companies together in one of the largest-growing portions of the reverse logistics business; basically, the minute you begin the return of a package, that item enters their domain. Grand View Research estimates the reverse logistics market will grow from $882.9 billion in 2025 to $3.18 trillion in 2033.
“RLN gives them a place to connect with peers, access research and best practices, find the right partners, and stay ahead of where the industry is going,” Vick said. “The goal is simple: Help companies recover more value, reduce waste and do it more efficiently.”
The creation of the RLN comes a few months after several key executives were laid off who’d had ties to the Reverse Logistics Association (RLA). They were among the last remnants of that member-driven organization after it was acquired in 2023 by the National Retail Federation (NRF). That retail advocacy group retired the RLA brand soon after that move and brought RLA services under its umbrella.
“As an organization, the industry hasn’t had a consistent, long-term professional home since then,” said Vick, who’s also a communications instructor at Brigham Young University and communications executive with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. “That gap became more obvious as reverse logistics continued to grow. Our team has deep experience in the space, and we built RLN as a new platform focused on stability, practitioner leadership and long-term continuity.”
Vick is among several family members carrying on the tradition of their father, Gailen Vick, who founded the RLA in 2002. Jeremy Vick worked there for eight years in a communications role. His brother, Shad Vick (CTO for the RLN), helped found the RLA with Gailen. And his sister, Felicia Przybyla (executive adviser for the RLN), spent 15 years in strategy- and growth-related roles for the RLA.
“We’ve all spent a long time in reverse logistics and saw a clear need for something more modern and accessible when other organizations stopped supporting the industry,” he said. “Once RLA was sold, I saw the gaps appear and a major fracturing happening. With such deep roots within the reverse logistics industry, we could not allow that to happen and see all the work the industry has done over the years disappear.”
The immediate goal is to build out the agency’s directory and ensure support from founding members, Jeremy Vick said. Plans are to expand into research and education as interest grows to make the network more useful and accessible.
Those plans include training initiatives for students and companies looking to bring employees up to speed. They also include focusing on areas of reverse logistics that get less attention, such as apparel and textiles, which Jeremy Vick said has some of the highest return rates but least-developed repair/recycling infrastructure.
Leaders will also turn an eye toward innovation and AI, a hot topic about which he said the RLN will work to become a mentor.
Early interest has been strong, he said, among the retail, manufacturing and service provider sectors. The RLN is focusing on initial feedback that the industry is too fragmented with a dearth of options to improve margins on returns while also hitting sustainability goals. He wants to give members a central place to find solutions for that.
“The industry has grown fast, but it’s still very fragmented. Companies struggle to stay connected and find the right partners. RLN was built to solve that — a simple, digital-first network that brings the industry together.
The group has its first conference slated for Sept. 21-23 in Texas. RLN 2026 will feature experts, manufacturers and other industry insiders to help attendees reduce costs and improve sustainability. The RLN is working on picking speakers for the event.
The NRF said in a statement, “As a matter of policy, we do not comment on individual personnel matters, including staffing decisions. However, NRF remains fully engaged in ongoing discussions around all aspects of sustainability, working with our members and the broader retail ecosystem to recognize both the challenges and opportunities. This includes highlighting the increased importance of reverse logistics at NRF 2027: Retail’s Big Show with a dedicated Reverse Logistics Pavilion, conference rooms for meetings, and thought leaders and solution providers at the Javits Center.”
This story was updated at 12:18 pm ET on April 15, 2026 with comment from the NRF.
