Jan 10

Op-Ed | ⛓️ Saskia van Gendt - Is a circular supply chain possible? Technology says yes.

“DEVELOPING CIRCULARITY REQUIRES NEW PARTNERSHIPS, REIMAGINED PROCESSES, AND TECH-ENABLED SYSTEMS. COMPANIES CAN ACCELERATE THEIR TRANSITION TO A CIRCULAR SUPPLY CHAIN TODAY BY:

Designing products that use standardized components, are easy to dismantle, and are monomaterial, meaning they are made from one type of material.

Developing comprehensive labeling solutions for customers and supply chain partners to prevent goods from being returned “blind,” meaning, without the original labels and tags that identify the product.

Designing systems and incentives to encourage consumers to return products.

Connecting suppliers, distributors, retailers, and logistics partners on a single network for improved visibility and collaboration.

Ensuring that solutions such as returns, warehouse, and transportation management systems are interoperable, so all departments and partners share data.

Using data tracking systems and AI to determine where products and parts need to go next, whether that’s re-inventory, reuse, recycling, or disposal

Building reverse logistics capabilities that can coordinate pickup and delivery of products back to manufacturers, recyclers, and suppliers”

"Supply chain leaders are also recognizing that traditional approaches are too complex, costly, and manual to enable this transition to recycling and reuse."

However, new solutions offer enhanced visibility and improved collaboration across the supply chain, enabling the bi-directional product flows that underpin the circular supply chain. The more companies that harness these solutions, the closer we get to a truly circular economy.

Saskia van Gendt is the chief sustainability officer at Blue Yonder.

Find the original op-ed, here:
https://www.fastcompany.com/91467364/is-a-circular-supply-chain-possible-technology-says-yes
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