The Essential Role of Logistics in a Growing Circular Economy
TerraCycle tom szaky Include USA
In today’s world, the basic model for the production of goods is linear: natural resources are extracted and turned into products that are used for a limited time. While some of these products are recycled, most eventually end up in the world’s landfills. This model is becoming increasingly unsustainable and expensive for businesses. Commodity prices rose more than 150 percent between 2002 and 2010 and an additional three billion middle-class consumers are expected to enter the global market by 2030. This unprecedented demand for goods and services coupled with increasing resource scarcity and price volatility is causing companies to move from a traditional “take-make-dispose” model to a more circular strategy. Beyond the cost, there is increasing awareness of the impact of the linear model on the well-being of the planet, and a growing sense of urgency as we see the ultimate ramifications on society and the environment.
Closing the Loop with Innovative Logistic Solutions
In recent years, I’ve seen companies like Dell, Patagonia and TerraCycle focus their sustainability efforts on implementing seamless take-back programs that make use of turnkey packaging, pickup services and pre-paid return labels. With approximately 97 percent of business leaders listing logistics as important to transitioning to a circular economy, partnering with intelligent logistic providers will be crucial for companies to implement cost-effective circular strategies. UPS teamed up with Nespresso to help the company ensure their single-serve coffee capsules are properly recycled. Nespresso offers pre-paid recycling bags for consumers to mail back used capsules by dropping them off at one of the 88,000 UPS drop-off locations across the U.S., or by giving them to any UPS driver. The aluminum from the capsules is then melted down and used in new products, and coffee grounds are composted into high-quality soil amendments that go to landscapers, garden centers, municipalities and homeowners. This is one example of many where partnerships are critical to closing the loop.
The Future of the Circular Economy
I recently had the opportunity to participate on a panel at GreenBiz VERGE 2016 with Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle and Kevin Zweier, VP of Transportation Practice at Chainalytics, to discuss trends shaping the future of the circular economy. In addition to the critical role of logistics, major takeaways from the collaborative discussions included:
Tailoring the Solution. Companies trying to implement circular strategies face a “first mile” challenge when it comes to reusing products and resources for future use. Each product in a company’s supply chain must be analyzed based on its unique characteristics from raw material to end-of-life. Circular planning must then be used to determine whether reclaimed products and resources should be transported back to a central hub facility or dealt with on a local level.
Education is Key. To help build mainstream acceptance and support for a realized circular economy, governments and businesses alike should prioritize educating consumers about circular principles, including which products can be reused, recycled or upgraded. By helping customers make easy decisions when they are done using a product, we can ensure valuable materials don’t end up in landfills.
We All Have a Role to Play. While companies are investing in innovative partnerships and creating more sustainable solutions, there is also a need for customers and consumers to take advantage of these offerings so that these investments can be supported by a strong business case.