“A circular supply chain lets you turn waste into value,” says Disney Petit, CEO and founder of LiquiDonate, a San Francisco-based company that automates donation workflows, reporting, and nonprofit matching. “Instead of throwing away unsold or returned items, you find a second life for them—through donation, reuse, or recycling,” Petit says. “It’s better for the environment, saves companies money on landfill fees and reverse logistics, and builds brand trust with customers who care about sustainability.” A linear supply chain that simply ends at delivery or the point of sale incentivizes brands to sell a product— not to ensure it performs. “When brands stay connected to products after the point of sale, they’re incentivized to build products that actually solve the problem we buy them for, for as long as possible,” says Eric Casavant, director of technical marketing at Wiliot, a San Diego-based company that develops IoT technology for supply chains and asset management. “Companies can deliver upgrades, monitor usage, and proactively support the customer,” he adds. “Businesses also have a platform to build a relationship with customers, which shifts the business model: Products are built to perform, not just sell.” Petit is among those seeing sharply growing interest from shippers in adopting a circular supply chain. “Over the past 12–18 months, we’ve seen a real shift,” she says. “Retailers are being held accountable for waste— by customers, investors, and their own employees. At Pursuing and managing a circular supply chain— one that minimizes waste by keeping materials and goods in use as long as possible, rather than discarding them prematurely—is becoming increasingly compelling to shippers.
the same time, they’re looking for cost savings. Circular supply chains help with both.” With that in mind, here are five critical steps that can help guide shippers in turning a linear supply chain into a circular one. 1 IDENTIFY THE BEST OPPORTUNITIES — WITH THE HELP OF VISIBILITY Start with a cost-benefit analysis to find the best opportunities for circularity. Materials that companies already use in their supply chains are often overlooked. “Examine the materials a company already has in its supply chain and start looking at the cost of extracting and receiving them versus the cost of recovering those materials domestically and reintegrating them,” recommends John Holm, senior vice president of partnership development at Pyxera Global, where he leads the organization’s inclusive circular economy strategy. “We already have reverse logistics for products— what about reverse logistics for materials?” he asks. “Identifying areas where costs are minimal but materials can be recovered at scale is just smart.” Start simple and focus on systems that make sustainability actionable. “The bottom line: If you want a circular supply chain, you have to design for it,” Petit says. “Make it easy for teams to act sustainably—not just talk about it.” To understand where actionable opportunities exist, visibility into inventory gaps is critical. LiquiDonate contributes to a circular supply chain by diverting excess, returned, or unsellable goods from landfill and redistributing them to nonprofits, schools, and communities in need.
June 2025 • Inbound Logistics 27
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