How Individual and Collective Actions Can Drive Global Circularity Forward
Attending The World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions in 2024, also know as Summer Davos, on behalf of LimeLoop was an enlightening experience. The discussions and insights shared underscored the urgency and complexity of addressing global challenges, particularly in the context of sustainability and the global plastic treaty. Here are some key takeaways from the inspiring event in Dalian, China:
Individual and Collective Action
One of the most resonant themes was the need for both individual and collective action. Each of us has a role to play in driving change, whether through personal choices or by influencing broader organizational and societal shifts. The collective impact of individual actions can be profound, and it is essential that we all step forward together to create meaningful progress.
Reimagining Financial Structures
A significant point of discussion was the necessity to rethink our financial structures. Traditional models often prioritize short-term gains, which can be detrimental to long-term sustainability. We must be willing to explore and adopt new financial frameworks that support circular economies and sustainable practices. This might involve innovative funding mechanisms and impact investing that prioritize long-term environmental and social benefits.
Investing in Systems
Another crucial takeaway was the importance of investing in systems rather than just individual products or solutions. At LimeLoop, we have seen the benefits of a systems-based approach, which can lead to more sustainable and effective outcomes. This means looking beyond immediate returns and considering the broader, long-term impacts of our investments. Embracing this mindset is essential for developing and implementing circular solutions that can address the plastic crisis.
Corporate Commitment
The role of corporations in driving change cannot be overstated. Businesses have the power to make significant impacts, and their commitment to sustainable practices is vital. Corporations must actively participate in the development and implementation of circular solutions. This commitment is essential for the success of any global plastic treaty and for achieving broader sustainability goals.
The Power of Kindness
Interestingly, one of the most profound insights from the event was the critical role of kindness. In addressing global challenges, collaboration, understanding, and empathy are crucial. Kindness fosters cooperation and drives meaningful change, making it an indispensable component of our efforts to create a more sustainable world.
Policy Shifts: The Icing on the Cake
Policy shifts, such as the structure of the Global Plastic Treaty, are essential. These policies provide the framework and support needed to drive large-scale change. While individual and corporate actions are crucial, policy changes can amplify these efforts and ensure that they are sustained over the long term. These shifts are the icing on the cake, providing the necessary structure and support for a circular economy.
The Annual Meeting of the New Champions reinforced the importance of a multifaceted approach to sustainability. By taking steps forward individually and collectively, reimagining financial structures, investing in systems, securing corporate commitments, and embracing kindness, we can make significant strides in addressing the plastic crisis. The path forward requires effort from all of us, but with these principles in mind, I left the event feeling both challenged and hopeful about our ability to create a cleaner, more circular future.
Join us in the reuse revolution and let's create a circular economy together!
Ashley Etling
CEO & Co-Founder
@thelimeloop
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A breakdown of carriers: USPS, UPS, Fedex & DHL
When it comes to shipping, there are now many different options to choose from. Though sometimes it feels like there are little options at the price point you want.
There have been far too many times when I’ve gone to ship something small–or what I thought was small–only to have it cost more than what I paid for the item I’m trying to ship. Sound familiar?
The four major and most utilized carriers include: UPS, FedEx, USPS, and DHL.
How do you know which carrier you should use? Which one is going to be the most cost effective? What about the most reliable and safest in terms of security?
Let’s take a look at each of them…
Pros and cons
As with anything, each carrier comes with their own set of pros and cons which could be around cost differentiators, benefits from an employee's perspective, benefits from a consumer's perspective, and unique offerings that set them apart.
Is there one that you typically gravitate towards?
Here are some pros and cons of each carrier.
USPS (United States Postal Service)
Pros
- Economical Pricing: USPS is often the most cost-effective option for shipping, particularly for small businesses and individuals.
- Extensive Coverage: USPS covers every address in the United States, including even the most remote areas.
- Priority Mail: USPS Priority Mail services provide slightly more cost-effective and reliable two- to three-day delivery options.
Cons
- Limited International Presence: USPS international services may not be as comprehensive or competitive as those of private carriers.
- Tracking Limitations: USPS tracking may not offer the same level of real-time updates as private carriers.
There are no shortages of post offices around the nation which makes USPS easy to find and ship from. Typically a solid and safe choice to work with USPS for your shipping needs.
UPS (United Parcel Service)
Pros
- Extensive Domestic and International Coverage: UPS boasts a vast network that spans across the globe, ensuring reliable delivery options for businesses and consumers alike.
- Advanced Tracking and Technology: UPS provides robust tracking tools and technology, offering “real-time” updates to shippers and recipients.
- Strong Sustainability Efforts: UPS has committed to reducing its carbon footprint through initiatives like alternative fuels and energy-efficient vehicles.
Cons
- Higher Costs: UPS services tend to be on the higher end of the price spectrum, making it less cost-effective for some businesses, especially smaller ones.
- Peak Season Challenges: During peak shipping seasons, UPS can experience delays and capacity constraints, which may impact delivery times.
The updates that I’ve received from UPS when shipping or receiving a product via their carriers have been really nice over the years. Though, while they claim to have “real-time” updates, these updates still rely on the scanning at different locations so it isn’t exactly real-time.
FedEx (Federal Express)
Pros
- Comprehensive Shipping Solutions: FedEx offers a wide range of shipping services, including overnight and international options, catering to diverse shipping needs.
- Strong International Presence: FedEx's global network ensures seamless international shipping with customs expertise.
- FedEx Office: The FedEx Office network offers printing, copying, and document services, providing a one-stop-shop for businesses.
Cons
- Pricing Variability: FedEx rates can be complex, with pricing variations depending on service levels and destinations, making it important for businesses to carefully choose the right service for cost efficiency.
- Less Rural Coverage: In some remote areas, FedEx may have limited coverage compared to other carriers.
FedEx for me has always been hit-and-miss. And I don’t know about you but same-day delivery in some areas around the US is really nice when you’re shipping something timely. However, sometimes same-day does turn into next day or two-day.
DHL
Pros
- Global Shipping Expertise: DHL is known for its expertise in international shipping, with a presence in over 220 countries and territories.
- Express Services: DHL Express provides expedited international shipping options for businesses with time-sensitive deliveries.
- Focus on Innovation: DHL invests in cutting-edge logistics technology and sustainable practices.
Cons
- Limited Domestic Presence: DHL's primary strength lies in international shipping, and its domestic coverage in the United States may not be as extensive as other carriers.
- Potentially Higher Costs: DHL Express services, while fast and reliable, may come at a premium price.
I know when shipping with DHL to the UK or Europe, I can trust my package is going to make it there in one piece and almost always on time. It is of course pricier to ship across continents but they provide a few different options to save depending on how you want to ship (air, ocean, etc.)
Who will you choose?
In conclusion, each carrier has its own set of strengths and weaknesses, making it crucial for businesses and consumers to assess their specific needs and preferences when selecting a shipping partner.
UPS and FedEx offer strong domestic and international options with advanced tracking, while USPS provides affordability and comprehensive domestic coverage. DHL excels in international shipping and innovation.
Something that we hope to see in all of these carriers is access to more reusable packaging and much better tracking for everyone.
With LimeLoop, you get both of those and can continue shipping with whatever carrier works best for you.
Let’s talk more about your sustainable shipping needs. Schedule a call with a LimeLoop Reuse Specialist here.
The underlying fear of making a change
On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being not at all and 10 being absolutely, how comfortable are you with change?
So many of us fall somewhere in the middle, but it really does depend on the circumstances. Sometimes, change can be really simple and other times, it can cause stress and/or anxious thoughts. Change, though it is inevitable, is often met with fear and resistance. This is especially true in supply chain management with all of the complexities that come in this industry.
We hear pretty consistently from those in supply chain that if it isn’t broken, why fix it?
While this may be an unpopular opinion at times, I’d say that if it isn’t broken AND you aren’t looking to make it even better, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity…
Why we fear change
Change can be downright intimidating.
Despite its potential for growth and opportunity, change often triggers a deep-rooted fear within us due to our innate tendency to seek stability and familiarity. Over 30% of Americans fear the unknown. Our brains are wired to resist change as a survival mechanism. For some, this comes in the form of job security, others financial wellness, and for some it could be a need for validation.
I want you to think about your current day-to-day life for a moment. If you had to audit it, I bet you could find at least four areas where you could adjust and make your day more efficient–whether that is in time management, commuting, quality time with friends and family, etc.
What is holding you back from making those changes?
Sticking to your routine, the same strategies, is safe; it’s comfortable. However, when you adapt to change, you grow and adapt to the landscapes around you that are constantly shifting and evolving like technology, customer preferences, and market trends.
What you’ll miss
If you can’t adapt, you won’t stay relevant and your competitors will run you right out of your place.
Technology
Always evolving, always changing. Technology is constantly getting better and there are always going to be new technologies coming into focus. While you won’t need to be an expert at them all, you do need to have some form of technological growth in your roadmap. It’s important here to remember that not all tech is created equal so aligning your tech and partnership with your goals is increasingly more important.
Customer preferences
We all want to say that we are driving our business forward, but it’s really your customers that help drive momentum. You aren’t adjusting your product to fit every customers’ needs but there’s a trend happening that your customers want and look to you to provide. One big one these days is around doing better for the environment. Over 60% of consumers want to purchase from a brand that prioritizes the environment and can prove it. There are so many ways to make greener choices in your supply chain yet making the “change” to do it is daunting. It doesn’t have to be…
Market trends
Again with the word “trend”. Trends come and go. The market fluctuates. What stays is your brand and your mission behind your brand. If you can make changes internally and externally that adhere to what the market and consumers are looking for while staying true to your mission and brand values, you’re winning. And there are ways to do this that put your ROI in a positive position.
Change is inevitable
Let’s flip the script. Change is inevitable so rather than letting it hold you back, why not embrace it?
Do you have any fears about change in your current supply chain? Is cost holding you back? Or maybe it’s the time you think it will take? Maybe it’s a fear of implementing something that ends up being a failure?
Just remember that change is natural and it will happen regardless. Rather than be a passive bystander, be the changemaker that brings a more efficient, economical and environmentally friendly process to your business.
To learn more about positive change in your supply chain that can save you money and help you reach your ESG goals, schedule a call. Together, with reusable packaging, we can deliver a world without waste.
The importance of a logistics strategy in today’s ever changing supply chains
Supply chains have always been the backbone of any business. They ensure the smooth and efficient flow of your goods and services from the point of origin to your end consumer.
Now for a moment, I want you to envision what your business would look like without the supply chain you currently have now.
For some, this may be chaos. For others, you may be thrilled at the prospect of a supply chain that is more organized and more efficient. And for those that aren’t confident in their current supply chain specifically, rethinking your supply chain strategy–or components in your supply strategy–is so important for your bottom line.
However, in recent years, supply chains have faced numerous challenges, and as you know, the pandemic only further exacerbated these issues.
A big question that should always be a part of your supply chain strategy is understanding how you can prepare for additional changes and impacts from external factors that may come…
Recent impacts on supply chains
So, what has happened to significantly impact supply chains in recent years?
There are three major buckets that have made some big impacts in today’s supply chain management.
Decreased global trade: As you know, global trade experienced a significant decline of 5.3% in 2020 due to the pandemic. Lockdowns, travel restrictions, and reduced consumer demand disrupted supply chain networks worldwide, resulting in delays, shortages, and increased costs.
Increased ecommerce demand: With people staying home, online shopping skyrocketed. According to Statista, global e-commerce sales exceeded $5.7 trillion in 2022, up by 24.9% from the previous two years.. This surge in demand placed tremendous pressure on supply chains, requiring faster and more efficient delivery options.
Supply chain visibility challenges: Many supply chains lack transparency and real-time visibility, making it difficult to identify bottlenecks and respond to disruptions. A survey by Deloitte found that only 6% of organizations have complete visibility across their supply chains. This lack of visibility hampers the ability to make informed decisions and optimize operations.
So, why is a supply chain strategy so important to function smoothly?
Given the challenges faced by today's supply chains, having a robust logistics strategy is crucial. A logistics strategy provides a roadmap for effectively managing the movement and storage of goods, reducing costs, and meeting customer expectations. And, it ensures a competitive advantage by improving efficiency, reducing lead times, and mitigating risks.
No one wants chaos in their supply chain…
5 key elements of a logistics strategy
Some of these elements will seem obvious, but they can be easily overlooked.
When developing a logistics strategy, consider including the following key elements:
- Supply Chain Network Optimization: Analyze, analyze, analyze. Start by analyzing your supply chain network and identify opportunities for consolidation, reconfigurations, or optimization. You’d be surprised at how much you are overpaying, how many duplicating efforts you have, and what you just don’t need anymore. This process can help reduce transportation costs, improve delivery times, and enhance overall efficiency.
Before you overthink it, yes, this will take time but it is worth it.
- Collaborative Relationships: Foster strong relationships with suppliers, manufacturers, and logistics partners. This may seem like a no-brainer but it can easily be overlooked.
Collaboration and sharing information can lead to greater efficiency, better inventory management, and improved responsiveness to disruptions. It also ensures that your processes and systems within your supply chain from manufacturing to transportation to first, middle and last mile are all lock-in-step.
- Real-time Visibility and Tracking: Invest in technologies that provide real-time visibility and tracking capabilities across your supply chain. This enables you to proactively identify bottlenecks and respond to disruptions quickly.
Being able to track your packages at all hours of the day 365 days a week provides more insight and awareness of the who, what, when and where of your products. There is less room for mistakes and more room for making data-driven decisions. These could look like: optimizing transportation routes, better inventory management, stronger personnel scheduling, and more.
- Effective Inventory Management: Optimize inventory with demand forecasting tools and accurate sales data. This minimizes inventory holding costs while ensuring product availability and reducing the risk of stockouts.
Data, data, data. You can’t make decisions without data and this is where utilizing real-time tracking and inventory management systems together are so important. Do your systems track your inventory effectively? Does your team know when and where to look? Do you feel confident in forecasting with what data you have?
- Reusable Packaging Solutions: Adopting reusable packaging solutions can provide environmental benefits while reducing costs. According to a study by the Sustainability Consortium, reusable packaging can reduce packaging waste by up to 95% and supply chain costs by up to 20%.
This is a common misconception that reusable packaging is going to add more work and more costs in your supply chain. However, we know that isn’t true. We’ve seen packaging cost savings up to 88% for a full year. That’s not insignificant…
Your competitive advantage
In today's dynamic business environment, an effective logistics strategy is essential for maintaining a competitive advantage. We know that supply chains are wrought with vulnerabilities, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find the solution before they occur.
Using the key elements above to audit your supply chain is worth the effort to find ways you can be more efficient–in cost, operations and time. Let’s be more proactive rather than reactive.
Looking for better supply chain optimization and overall decreased costs? Learn more about LimeLoop’s Trackable Reusable Packaging
The voices of our products
Getting behind the voices of our products with EON’s Founder & CEO, Natasha Franck
Wait, put the scissors down.
We know clothing tags haven’t necessarily been the most comfortable, or functional, in the past. But today, the tags on our clothes are alive – well, metaphorically speaking. Speaking to not only the retailer and consumer, but also the reseller and the recycler, clothing tags now have Digital IDs, courtesy of Natasha Franck, CEO and founder of EON, an operating system for clothing.
“[Recyclers] don’t know the content of your shirt, and if they don’t know the composition makeup, they can’t recycle it. So the Digital ID basically gives the product a voice. It’s like hello I am..and now that product can speak to whoever it’s in the hands of,” Natasha told Behind the Green host, Chantal Emmanuel.
Products with voices?
What a time to be alive – for the clothes and for the people handling them. Because now, more than ever, sustainability pioneers, such as Natasha and her team at EON, are making connections between pollution, waste management, and the fashion industry. For the fashion industry produces “10% of our global carbon emissions, today, and that could increase to over 25% by 2050.”
The current linear “take-make-dispose” economic model means retailers feel they must produce more products to make more money, which is inherently unsustainable. As Natasha explains, “Today we have billions and billions of products that are produced every single year, and those products are produced and sold and lost.” Said products are lost in the stream of waste filling landfills and polluting the planet, along with the money retailers could be saving if only they could better manage the horizontal flow.
She adds, “It’s very hard to start to manage those products through a circular business model, like resale, rental, or recycling, if you can’t ID the products and materials. So, what EON does is we give every single physical item – my shirt, your shirt – a Digital ID.”
The Digital ID
EON’s Digital ID demonstrates a global shift to circular business models.
What is it?
As Natasha and Chantal discuss in Episode 7 of Behind the Green, EON’s Digital ID gives voices to our products. Functionally, a product’s Digital ID can either be a QR code or a NFC chip, which consumers, resellers, and retailers simply scan to “hear” what a product has to say. The difference in capacity between a QR code or a NFC chip, then, is the difference between recycling and resale.
Resellers of luxury clothing products are most likely to utilize NFC chips, which allows for layers of authentication. Whereas recyclers of everyday wear products, such as t-shirts, are most likely to utilize QR codes to better understand the material composition. Both use-cases are a demonstration of how EON’s Digital IDs are taking the fashion industry from wasteful to waste-less.
What does it say?
“The product can really say whatever the brand wants it to say. Some brands are really leaning into bringing their transparency story forward – where that product came from, who made it – so, maybe, it’s a unique material story,” Natasha explains.
And in this era of consumer sustainability demand, “Transparency equals trust; trust is everything.” Consumers want to shop with retailers they trust to have not only their best interests in mind, but the planet’s best interest in mind, too. So with sustainable technology, such as EON’s, retailers bridge the gaps not only in their supply chain – recovering lost products and preventing more from being lost – but they, also, bridge the gaps between them and their customers.
Natasha adds, “Today, the customer buys a product, and then when they’re ready to sell it, they take it to the Real Real or Poshmark. But brands don’t want to lose that customer, and they don’t want to lose that product. So now, with the Digital ID, instead of reselling it on a third-party channel I can scan and resell that product back directly through the original brand that I purchased it from.”
The Bigger Picture
“You’ll get to the point where you go to the store, and you see a shirt without a barcode on it, and you’re like wait, I can’t find out more information about this? It will become that tipping point where you can’t be on the other side of it anymore,” points out host, Chantal Emmanuel.
There’s just no way around it; at some point in sustainability’s progression, retailers will get left behind if they do not adopt sustainable business practices. For us, it’s reusable packaging. For EON, it’s the Digital ID. But both represent a global shift away from linear economics to circular economics across industries. “It’s really the data sharing, for us, as I imagine for LimeLoop, too, that is the fundamental of creating the system,” Natasha tells Chantal.
And with that comes the need for strategically decentralized data, connecting vertical, siloed data streams with horizontal product flows. Natasha alludes to product stewardship, or the idea of caring for products from point of sale through to delivery and even beyond as customers return, resell, or exchange products for new or different ones. She says, “I think in our vision all these simple products become intelligent assets and are stewarded through a circular and sustainable life cycle.”
What will you hear with Digital ID?
Natasha and the EON team recently joined the Fashion Taskforce, created by Prince Charles. “It was quite an honor and a shock to be stewarding a commitment with his Royal Highness and his support was amazing.” She goes on to speak about how the taskforce leverages EON’s Circular Data Protocol – an integral piece to the EON vision.
“What information does every product’s Digital ID need to hold in order to enable circularity? So one thing would be material content; another thing would be factory of origin; another thing would be original retail price,” Natasha explains. She adds, ” Which, then, allows retailers to scale this sustainable solution.
Ready for Reuse?
Get started with one of our Reuse Specialists to discover everything you need for sustainable shipping.
Decentralize to decarbonize
IoT’s role in positive environmental impact and sustainable business.
The narrative changed around ecommerce sustainability. No longer a niche ‘nice-to-have,” sustainability transitioned from an operational feature to an operational requirement. Increased pressure from stakeholders and consumers leaves retailers working into overdrive as they begin to implement more sustainable business models.
Additionally, amended sustainability and decarbonization goals for 2025 and beyond means there’s an added urgency around collective collaboration layering the already urgent need to transition from linear to circular. Yet the question remains, are we taking the necessary steps to make these goals a reality?
The Problem
Despite efforts and demands, progress towards environmental sustainability in logistics, as one piece to the puzzle, remains halted, or rather, it remains reactive, for three reasons. First, we’re reacting to a problem not only larger than any one retailer or consumer but larger than just the environmental impacts. Second, we’re reacting to said problem at an individual scale, rather than scaling the solution to be more collaborative and overall circular. Third, we’re reacting to a problem we can’t really even see because the lack of visibility across supply chains leaves us holding onto what we know rather than what is possible.
For example, packaging, despite sustainability demands, remains designed for recycling rather than for reuse. But waste management systems are severely underfunded; not to mention, we’re producing more waste than we know what to do with. Therefore, recycling methods are currently inefficient and insufficient in their processes. While EPR legislation is working to hold retailers accountable for the wasteful packaging they produce, encouraging redesign, most new legislation is focused on taxing the use of virgin plastics, further emphasizing recyclability as the ultimate goal, opposed to extending life cycles through reuse.
So, how do we get from a place of reactivity to a place of response? Of course, the system will not change overnight. But there are steps we can take, call them ‘low-hanging fruit,’ which when implemented collectively, become largely impactful.
The Opportunities in IoT and Reusable Packaging
As anyone who struggled to track down toilet paper in Spring of last year could tell you, while exacerbated by the pandemic, there are gaps in the current supply chain system. The supply chain, as it is now, requires an added sophistication to evolve it because data remains centralized. Centralized data makes it difficult to share proprietary information across the supply chain and difficult to manage inventory when shipments are halted as retailers are forced into bidding wars for shipping containers and freight space.
What’s more, centralized data isn’t timely, meaning decisions made from its analysis are delayed and homogeneous – not fit for the multifaceted problem we’re facing and not sufficient enough to respond with because there’s little value in disconnection. In other words, the horizontals aren’t connected with the verticals, and that disconnect, those gaps, are where the challenges continue to drain value and opportunity.
The Smiley Curve
Dr. Hau Lee, professor at Stanford University, offered the Smiley Curve in his webinar presentation for SupplyChainBrain in explaining how we achieve a circular economy.
By implementing reusable packaging, as a vehicle for IoT data collection, retailers can pick the lower hanging fruit to essentially progress past what Dr. Lee calls substitution. Substitution refers to improving the current system – in this case, the supply chain – by way of substituting what we’ve been doing with new innovative methods, such as reusable packaging with IoT. Further, the Smiley Curve, as shown above, illustrates how scalability, in response to our multifaceted problem, propels the economy from waste and harm to value creation and repair.
Therefore, at LimeLoop, we believe that scalability, visibility, collectivity, and accountability are the four dots worth connecting to carry us from reaction to response and from substitution to structural transformation. Decentralizing data – data collected by way of reusable packaging with IoT – is, then, how we connect those dots, to then, decarbonize the planet.
The Dots Worth Connecting
Scalability
Change happens as if it is a ripple across the surface of water. One drop, and the entire surface integrity is altered. Perhaps only for a moment, but that ripple shifts the state of things nonetheless. So how do we take a small- to medium-sized apparel retailer, for example, who’s established a successful reusable packaging program, and ripple their success across industries – food, pharmaceuticals, raw materials, etc. – to then scale-out at a higher level, so that real-time data collected in California is shared with those across the supply chain, including overseas?
A LimeLoop package, by design, may be reused up to 200 times. This long lifespan makes it the perfect vehicle for IoT integration. Each package becomes its own data-hub, collecting real-time data on the environment in and around the package throughout its journey. But, what makes this platform a remarkable host for scalability, is the opportunity for reverse logistics and predictive analytics to inform the outcomes of future business decisions.
When retailers are equipped with a closed feedback loop informed by data shared across the supply chain, business decisions regarding environmental impact become measurable and actionable – taking retailers from a place of response to a place of proactivity. This quantification adds value to the upward climb that is decentralizing data, which, then, moves retailers from substitution to scalability – the next step in transitioning from linear to circular.
Visibility
Data is incredibly siloed, as it’s currently collected and stored. An order is placed. A package is shipped. That package then receives a tracking number, which only informs of its last location. The package arrives a day late – delays in delivery, then, impact the consumer – which doesn’t, then, inform the retailer anything about the package. Why was it delayed? Was it opened? When was it opened? If it was a temperature sensitive or temperature controlled package is it still safe with that delivery delay? A retailer is left with so many questions, there’s little data to go on to ensure delays don’t continue or that the package’s integrity wasn’t compromised.
Tracking and the Post-Purchase Experience
Additionally, consumers demand better ecommerce experiences – customization, personalization, first-day delivery, transparency, sustainability – but the possibilities in achieving these new experiences, especially around the holidays, are limited within the current system. When consumers track their packages, now, they get a vague impression of their package’s status – ‘out for delivery’ – and they get an estimated delivery date and time range. Upwards of 50-70% of customer service inquiries are asking ‘Where is my order?’ When the package does arrive – hopefully without delay – retailers don’t have the means of following up with consumers. And not to mention, the single-use packaging retailers paid for and put effort into personalizing will be landfilled.
In other words, the lack of visibility into the post-purchase experience, but also into the supply chain, holistically, begs the question, “who has what and where?” With supply chain shortages continuing into 2022, retailers scramble to make up for the losses in manufacturing components, supplies, and shipping.
Decentralized data reveals those hidden opportunities in post-purchase experiences and in supply chain hierarchies by providing retailers the means to follow-up with consumers in real-time with social media messaging or personalized feedback inquiries. Also, this data allows 3PLs and carriers to communicate with retailers about inventory, storage, and shipping. This data, as a reminder, wouldn’t exist without reusable packaging and IoT.
Collectivity
Because a LimeLoop reusable package collects real-time data at every touch point along the supply chain, retailers implementing decentralized data spread decision making by including everyone from the consumer to a retailer’s 3PL and carriers, in the growth and operations of a retailer – taking specialization to a new level.
Furthermore, because of its scalability, reusable packaging with IoT not only connects all personas involved in getting a package from order to delivery, but it connects industries and countries. Collaboration is key in shifting from substitution to scalability and, then, to structural transformation. Decentralizing data on environmental impacts, connects retailers by allowing them to work together rather than compete for solutions.
Healthy business requires some competition, but when it comes to repairing the damage done to the planet and our supply chain, collectivity must be at the forefront. And it certainly isn’t easy to gather each player – all with their own perspectives, opinions, and agendas – in one place to hash out actionable steps towards a circular, sustainable future. But with reusable packaging and IoT, we’ll already be connected once we decentralize data. Only with common goals which are measurable and quantifiable, may progress once again catch steam after coming to, what feels like, a screeching halt.
Accountability
Decentralizing data democratizes an industry. The lack of visibility is not only a problem throughout the supply chain, but it’s also a problem for retailers marketing sustainable practices and following through versus retailers utilizing sustainability as a front. This isn’t to point fingers, or to play the blame game, but there’s almost a shroud of secrecy surrounding data because it is a valuable tool in doing business.
But progression requires accountability across industries and supply chains. Retailers must be held accountable for their practices, including their packaging and shipping. Reusable packaging and IoT hold them accountable because the numbers don’t lie. Quantifying environmental impacts illuminates their true environmental impact. It not only illuminates it, but it stores it, creating a historical log of a retailer’s sustainability.
Ready for Reuse?
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Revolutionizing smart reusable packaging
At first glance, LimeLoop may appear to be just a reusable packaging company.
Yet, as LimeLoop’s co-founders, CEO Ashley Etling and CTO Chantal Emmanuel, explain in this episode of The Understory Podcast, LimeLoop is revolutionizing smart reusable packaging.
“At a high level what we’re really doing is eliminating all those packages piling at your front door, and replacing those with reusable ones,” explains Etling. She adds, “Knowing that the package can last over 200 times, we knew that we could start to make it more sophisticated; in a lot of ways, a smart package.”
And a smart package it is, indeed. Which is how LimeLoop is driving the reuse revolution. But why? Because sustainable shipping – the integration of IoT enabled reusable packaging (smart packaging) into one’s supply chain – results in streamlined logistics systems, evolved ecommerce experiences, and optimal operations management. In other words, it’s all about the reuse…and the data.
The Technology
the packaging & hardware
The reusable packaging is made of upcycled material – vinyl and cotton – zippers and pockets for longevity and ease in delivery and handling, cleaning, and returning. Each package is designed for durability and security.
The newest addition to the packages – the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) sensors – become the brain of a fleet of packages. Through the use of cellular bluetooth, retailers and consumers can track locations, environmental savings, open-rate, and temperature data through a web-based and mobile app.
the software & the data
Emmanuel explains in the podcast episode, “We really look at technology as a way to streamline the process of getting packages to and from, and then really taking advantage of the long lifecycle of our package to learn more about their journeys and their environment in and around themselves.”
Retailers, fulfillment centers, and consumers can track packages, print labels, process returns, and watch their environmental savings all on the LimeLoop digital platform. Thus, providing retailers visibility and security into their supply chains, while recreating the in-store feel for their customers at home.
The pairing of packaging, hardware, and software demonstrate how data can be better used to meet the triple bottom line – people, planet, and profit – for retailers across industries. Retailers, fulfillment centers, and consumers alike access information about their sustainable shipping journey at every step; while the environmental data collected from hardware to software allows retailers actionable steps in meeting ESG goals. As the platform conveys the collective environmental savings of CO2, water, trees, and oil, both ways – yes, changing the logistics and shipping game. As we said – it’s all about the data.
The Tech of Sustainable Shipping
How we consume our goods matters, and it matters most right now. According to this easypost whitepaper, “Over the past two years, businesses have seen a 37.8% increase in dollars spent online – an equivalent of nearly $275 billion.” In addition, analysts predict the ecommerce market will grow up to 25% by 2026. Existing retail and supply chain systems were not designed for this. Our waste management systems were not designed for this. But we have the tools to make progress towards a more circular economy.
“I think what a lot of people don’t realize is even when you have recycled packages and recycled boxes, it takes a lot of resources to make that box again…so we wanted to make sure the technology gave you a really great insight into how much your saving by switching to a reusable,” Emmanuel adds.
It isn’t about perfection. Sustainable technology allows us to do better, be better for the planet and the people on it, including us. By itself, the reusable packaging generates up to 60% savings in shipping costs and 93% reduction in CO2 emissions. And we know this because each package’s closed-loop journey is tracked from order to delivery.
the value & the support
LimeLoop’s technology drives sustainable shipping, further, as a guide for consumer behavior change – so that we may reduce and reuse. This is, of course, two-fold.
As it is, our partners work with both the reusable packaging as part of our sustainable shipping platform. It’s the combination of the packaging and the digital technology that really elevates and evolves those ecommerce experiences, adding the most value to your triple bottom line.
Added value across the supply chain, including the ecommerce experience, makes sustainability, as a business model, organically profitable. But the model, the closed-loop, is driven by customer lifetime value because customer loyalty drives return rates and return rates keep your reuse program running. As Emmanuel tells The Understory Podcast, “What we’ve seen study after study is that the easier a retailer makes returns for consumers the more likely they are to shop with you again.”
Because customers can use the same package their order arrived in for their returns, retailers now have the data to close the gap between the post purchase experience and the customer’s next order. Predictive analytics inform smarter, even more sustainable logistical, customer service, and operational next steps. And the loop continues.
IPIC physical internet start-up award winner
In June, 400 participants across the transport, supply chain and logistics global community discussed the problems within the supply chain and logistics systems and offered their Physical Internet solutions.
It was the 8th annual IPIC (International Physical Internet Conference) and LimeLoop’s Co-founder and CTO, Chantal Emmanuel, presented LimeLoop’s pitch: Powering Reuse for Retailers.
Physical Internet, Supply Chain & Logistics?
The Physical Internet acts as a roadmap between brands, fulfillment, transportation, and consumers applying the principles of the Internet to logistics. In practice, the Physical Internet serves as a global, open, interconnected network, using a set of collaborative protocols and standardized smart interfaces.
The Physical Internet is, then, integral to the future of transport, supply chain and logistics because of its enhanced systems, tech, and physical layout of distribution networks. This year’s award comes at a time when retail and ecommerce are evolving to incorporate sustainable and circular supply-chain tech to achieve greater efficiency.
Integral in developing the Physical Internet is the digitization of all available information. Because a LimeLoop Shipper may be reused over 200 times, the overall circularity of the shipper’s journey can fit within the high frequency Physical Internet model. Serving as a vessel to collect insights through IOT along the way, the Physical Internet continues to evolve the networks and distribution methods of existing hubs, transportation, last mile, etc.
LimeLoop Reusable Shippers
“One trend I noticed was an overall shared sentiment that the solution to bringing about the Physical Internet and directly related, circularity, is through a collaborative effort of shared networks and resources as opposed to everyone coming up with solutions in a siloed vacuum,” comments Emmanuel.
Other conference speakers, such as Transporeon, a cloud-based network for logistics services in Europe, stressed the importance of traceability within logistics to enable touch-points between all players.
Emmanuel adds, “Overall I was really impressed with the conference. It was a very international crowd so it was fascinating to hear a global perspective on the Physical Internet.”
The Physical Internet Start-up Award
IPIC’s Physical Internet Initiative aims to transform the way physical objects are moved, stored, realized, supplied and used, pursuing global logistics efficiency and sustainability.
Collaboration across industries is precisely what’s needed to tackle the current logistical gaps occurring in today’s supply chain. The award, tech and startup pitch validated LimeLoop’s efforts providing profit and planet for both brands and consumers.
“While it’s always nice to bring home a win for LimeLoop, after attending the sessions I know the real winner is the future of logistics,” Emmanuel states.
Invest in the Future of Logistics
LimeLoop’s WeFunder campaign is closing soon!
Since May 2021, LimeLoop has been raising money to support its mission to make supply chain and logistics sustainable. In the first month of its WeFunder campaign, LimeLoop raised $100k from 121 investors. With additional accredited investors, the raise totaled to over $930k.
“The competition and conference as a whole brought together some of the brightest minds working to make the Physical Internet a reality through shared learnings and experiences, fueling the more efficient and sustainable supply chains of tomorrow,” concludes Emmanuel.
LimeLoop’s crowd equity funding campaign is open to those interested in investing in physical internet innovations and in retail tech and innovation making supply chain and logistics more efficient and sustainable.
There’s only one week left to invest in LimeLoop through its WeFunder campaign. Take part in the next stage of LimeLoop’s ambitious growth strategy to tackle waste and frustration in the traditionally analog, single-use e-commerce and retail experiences.