ternational
Return Logistics International Corporation is a DEA-registered Reverse Distributor that processes pharmaceutical returns and destroys controlled substances, expired drugs, and manufacturing waste for manufacturers, pharmacies, distributors, 3PLs, repackagers, and veterinarians from its Savannah, Georgia facility.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersSavannah, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ternational does
Return Logistics International Corporation (RLI), founded in 1996 and headquartered in Savannah, Georgia, is a DEA-registered Reverse Distributor that provides returns processing and regulated waste disposal services for pharmaceutical and consumer product supply chains. The company serves six primary verticals: pharmaceutical and personal care manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors, pharmacies (community, hospital, clinical, compounding, and managed care), 503B outsourcing facilities, third-party logistics companies, and veterinary/animal health providers. Its core offering centers on the compliant destruction of expired, obsolete, or short-dated pharmaceuticals, DEA controlled substances (Schedules I–V), compounding chemicals, and related manufacturing waste.
RLI's underlying technology combines waste-to-energy incineration (where combustion heat generates electricity via steam turbines), cement kiln co-processing, and a zero-landfill material recovery hierarchy that recycles pallets, cardboard, and plastic before thermally destroying residual product. The Savannah facility maintains DEA-compliant security infrastructure including vault/cage storage, gated access, and camera surveillance, and the company holds DEA Reverse Distribution registration (Schedules CI–CV), Georgia DNR Solid Waste Processing Facility Permit, EPA Large Quantity Hazardous Waste Generator status, and Georgia Board of Pharmacy Reverse Distributor licensure.
RLI operates on a pure fee-for-service transaction model with no volume commitment, no prepayment, and no contract expiration. Customers initiate the process by obtaining a Return Order Number (RON), ship materials to the Savannah facility (via UPS, FedEx, USPS, or RLI's sub-contracted carriers for truckload volumes), and are billed after validation, counting, and destruction, with certificates of destruction and DEA Form 41s issued as proof. Revenue per engagement is built from a base fee plus line-item validation, per-pound destruction, and per-222-form charges, with flat-fee bundles available for smaller quantities. Distribution is direct and sales-led through phone inquiries and website contact forms; the company does not employ product-led or self-serve acquisition.
ternational firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ternational
- Legal name
- Return Logistics International Corporation
- Website
- https://returnlogistics.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Return Logistics International Corporation is a DEA-registered Reverse Distributor that processes pharmaceutical returns and destroys controlled substances, expired drugs, and manufacturing waste for manufacturers, pharmacies, distributors, 3PLs, repackagers, and veterinarians from its Savannah, Georgia facility.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ternational industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal and Reverse Distribution Services
- NAICS
- Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal (562211), Hazardous Waste Collection (562112), Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622), Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Warehousing and Storage (493)
- SIC
- Hazardous Waste Management (4955), Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Consumer Returns Processing & Disposition (Grading, Restocking, RTV) (TLAIAHAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Recall, Quarantine & Compliance Returns Management (TLAIAHAI), Waste, Recycling & Environmental Logistics (Asset-Based Haulage) (TLAIAMAK), Reverse Logistics Coordination (Non-Asset-Based Returns Management) (TLAIANAJ)
Keywords
Where ternational is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Savannah
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
ternational business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Controlled Substance Destruction Services: Fee-for-service destruction of DEA controlled substances (Schedules I-V). Services include receipt, validation, counting, destruction, and provision of certificates of destruction and DEA Form 41s.
- Pharmaceutical and Manufacturing Waste Disposal: Destruction services for expired, obsolete, or short-dated pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and manufacturing waste. Revenue based on minimum per-shipment transaction fee or billed per product and pounds destroyed.
- Compound Pharmaceutical Destruction: Services for compounding pharmacies and 503B outsourcing facilities. Pricing includes flat fee per return, fee for each 222 form, price per line item for validation, and price per pound for destruction.
- Return Processing Services: Returns processing for manufacturers including receiving, reconciling, reporting, and destruction. Optional value recovery through sorting and disassembling products for reuse, recycling, or selling component parts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Fee-for-Service Agreement - No commitment required |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
ternational product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Return Logistics International Corporation (RLI) is a DEA-registered Reverse Distributor that provides regulated returns processing and destruction services for expired, obsolete, or short-dated pharmaceuticals, controlled substances (Schedules I-V), personal care products, and manufacturing waste. The company serves manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, pharmacies, veterinarians, third-party logistics companies, and repackagers through a fee-for-service model with no volume commitment. All waste processing occurs at a single zero-landfill facility in Savannah, GA using waste-to-energy incineration and cement kiln co-processing.
Product overview
Return Logistics International (RLI) is a returns processing and waste disposal company that operates as a DEA-registered Reverse Distributor. The company offers a unified platform of destruction and returns management services rather than separate modules. The core offering combines Controlled Substance Disposal, Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal, Solid Waste Destruction, and Compound Pharmaceutical Destruction services. These services are delivered to a diverse customer base including Manufacturers, Pharmacies, Repackagers, Third Party Logistics Companies, Wholesalers/Distributors, and Veterinarians through a simple fee-for-service model with no volume commitment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Returns Processing Services Core service for processing product returns from manufacturers, distributors, pharmacies, veterinarians, and third-party logistics companies, including receiving, reconciling, reporting, and destruction of returned goods.
- Controlled Substance Disposal DEA-registered Reverse Distributor service for compliant destruction of controlled substances (Schedules I, II, III, IV, and V), providing DEA Form 41 certification as proof of disposal.
- Solid Waste Destruction Destruction services for pharmaceutical, healthcare, cosmetic, consumer products, and industrial manufacturing wastes including packaging components, agricultural wastes, and carpet/textile scraps.
- Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products Waste Disposal Destruction services for expired, obsolete, or short-dated pharmaceutical and personal care products, manufacturing waste, and raw materials including controlled substances.
- Compound Pharmaceutical Destruction DEA and FDA compliant destruction services for compounding pharmacies and 503B Outsourcing Facilities, handling expired, obsolete, or short-dated formulations and raw materials.
Quantifiable outcome
- Fastest turnaround time in the industry (per customer testimonial)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use ternational
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
ternational technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
ternational partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ternational competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Reverse Logistics Group: Reverse Logistics Group is a global reverse logistics consultancy and service provider covering returns management, refurbishment, and remarketing across multiple industries. It is thematically comparable to RLI but serves a broader cross-industry mandate rather than the regulatory-pharma niche.
Broad incumbents
- Heritage-Crystal Clean: Heritage-Crystal Clean provides parts cleaning and hazardous and non-hazardous waste management services to industrial and pharmaceutical customers, overlapping with RLI's regulated disposal offerings. It is a broader environmental services incumbent with analogous compliance-focused service profiles.
- Republic Services: Republic Services is a major US non-hazardous solid waste and recycling provider that competes for industrial and commercial disposal volumes that may include manufacturing waste adjacent to RLI's offerings, though it is not a DEA-registered reverse distributor.
- Clean Harbors: Clean Harbors is the largest US provider of hazardous waste management and disposal services, overlapping with RLI's hazardous waste generator and treatment activities. While broader in scope, it competes for manufacturers and pharmaceutical generators needing compliant disposal pathways.
- Triumvirate Environmental: Triumvirate Environmental is the strategic acquirer of RLI and a broader environmental, health, and safety services platform covering hazardous waste, industrial services, and compliance consulting. As RLI's parent, it is the most direct platform comparable for assessing portfolio fit and roll-up dynamics.
- Stericycle: Stericycle is a major regulated waste management incumbent covering medical, pharmaceutical, and hazardous waste streams, including services overlapping with RLI's solid waste and controlled substance destruction offerings. Stericycle's nationwide collection network makes it a broader incumbent competitor for enterprise pharmaceutical accounts.
- Veolia North America (Environmental Services): Veolia operates hazardous waste treatment, recycling, and environmental services for industrial and pharmaceutical customers across the US, broadly comparable to RLI's regulated destruction and materials recovery activities but at massive scale and with a global platform.
Direct peers
- Capital Returns: Capital Returns is a reverse logistics provider specializing in retail and consumer product returns processing, grading, and disposition - functionally comparable to RLI's manufacturer returns processing offering but typically serving retail rather than pharmaceutical clients.
- Inmar (formerly Inmar Supply Chain Solutions): Inmar operates one of the largest pharmaceutical reverse distribution and returns processing networks in the US, directly competing with RLI for manufacturer, wholesaler, and pharmacy controlled-substance destruction and credit-recovery returns. Like RLI it serves DEA-regulated returns but at meaningfully greater geographic and customer scale.
- PharmaLink Inc. PharmaLink is a pharmaceutical reverse distribution company providing returns processing, destruction, and credit recovery for pharmacies, hospitals, and manufacturers, directly comparable to RLI's pharmacy and manufacturer-focused returns service. It is a private, similarly sized peer in the same niche.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ternational social profiles
Digital presenceternational compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
ternational financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ternational leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
ternational funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ternational M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ternational
What does ternational do?
Return Logistics International Corporation (RLI) is a DEA-registered Reverse Distributor that provides regulated returns processing and destruction services for expired, obsolete, or short-dated pharmaceuticals, controlled substances (Schedules I-V), personal care products, and manufacturing waste. The company serves manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, pharmacies, veterinarians, third-party logistics companies, and repackagers through a fee-for-service model with no volume commitment. All waste processing occurs at a single zero-landfill facility in Savannah, GA using waste-to-energy incineration and cement kiln co-processing.
Is ternational a public or private company?
ternational is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was ternational founded?
ternational was founded in 1996. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ternational based?
ternational is headquartered in Savannah, United States, in the North America region.
How does ternational make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Controlled Substance Destruction Services are the primary driver. The others are pharmaceutical and Manufacturing Waste Disposal, compound Pharmaceutical Destruction and return Processing Services.
Who are ternational's main competitors?
Reverse Logistics Group is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Heritage-Crystal Clean, Republic Services, Clean Harbors, Triumvirate Environmental, Stericycle and Veolia North America (Environmental Services). Direct peers are Capital Returns, Inmar (formerly Inmar Supply Chain Solutions) and PharmaLink Inc..
Does ternational have an API?
No public API is recorded for ternational.
What industry is ternational in?
ternational's product category is Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal and Reverse Distribution Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAIAHAA, Consumer Returns Processing & Disposition (Grading, Restocking, RTV), with a secondary code of TLAIAHAI, Recall, Quarantine & Compliance Returns Management. Its NAICS code is 562211 and its SIC code is 4955.