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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5 Simple Ways to Contribute to a Circular Economy

In today's world, where environmental concerns are at the forefront of many discussions, the concept of a circular economy has gained significant traction. At LimeLoop, we're passionate about creating sustainable solutions for shipping and packaging. But what can you do to support this shift towards a more circular economy? Here are five simple yet effective ways you can make a difference:

1. Embrace Reusable Packaging

One of the easiest ways to contribute to a circular economy is by opting for reusable packaging whenever possible. When shopping online, look for retailers who use LimeLoop's reusable shipping packages or similar sustainable options. These packages can be used over 50 times, significantly reducing waste compared to single-use cardboard boxes or poly mailers.

2. Return Reusable Packaging Promptly

If you receive a product in a reusable package, make sure to return it as soon as you've unpacked your items. With LimeLoop packages, it's as easy as zip, flip, and ship. Just zip up the empty package, flip over the pre-paid return label, and drop it in your mailbox or a USPS collection box.

3. Choose Products with Minimal Packaging

When shopping, opt for products with minimal or eco-friendly packaging. This reduces waste and encourages manufacturers to rethink their packaging strategies. Look for brands that prioritize sustainable packaging solutions.

4. Repair and Upcycle

Before discarding items, consider if they can be repaired or upcycled. Many products can be given a new lease on life with a little creativity or maintenance. This extends the life cycle of products and reduces the demand for new resources.

5. Support Brands Committed to Sustainability

Choose to support brands like Toad&Co that are actively working towards sustainability goals. Look for companies that use recycled materials, offer take-back programs, or are transparent about their environmental impact.

By voting with your wallet, you're encouraging more businesses to adopt circular economy principles.Remember, every small action counts. By incorporating these practices into your daily life, you're contributing to a more sustainable future and helping to "deliver a world without waste" – a mission we're deeply committed to at LimeLoop.

Join us in the reuse revolution and let's create a circular economy together!

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Embracing Circularity: 5 Compelling Reasons for Leaders

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In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, sustainability and resource efficiency have become paramount concerns for enterprises across industries. As all leaders navigate the complexities of modern-day operations, embracing circularity – a regenerative approach that minimizes waste and maximizes resource utilization – is no longer just a buzzword; it's a strategic imperative.

Here are the top five reasons why C-suite leaders should prioritize circularity in their organizational strategies.

1. Innovative Sustainability. Mitigating Environmental Impact and Regulatory Risks

As environmental regulations tighten and consumer awareness of sustainability issues grows, companies that fail to adopt circular practices risk facing hefty fines, repetitional damage, and potential legal liabilities. By embracing circularity, enterprises can proactively mitigate these risks, reduce their environmental footprint, and position themselves as responsible corporate citizens.

2. Sustainable Profitability. Enhancing Resource Efficiency and Cost Savings

Circularity is inherently geared towards optimizing resource utilization and minimizing waste.

By embracing circular business models, such as product-as-a-service, remanufacturing, or closed-loop reusables, enterprises can significantly reduce their reliance on finite raw materials, lower operational costs, and unlock new revenue streams through innovative product life-cycle management.

3. Driving Innovation and Circular Competitive Advantages

Embracing circularity fosters a culture of innovation within organizations.

By rethinking traditional linear business models and exploring new ways to create value from existing resources, enterprises can develop cutting-edge products, services, and processes that differentiate them from competitors and create sustainable competitive advantages.

4. Elevating Brand Equity. Attracting and Retaining Top Talent

Today's workforce, particularly younger generations, is increasingly conscious of environmental and social issues. By demonstrating a genuine commitment to circularity and sustainability, enterprises can enhance their employer brand, attract top talent, and foster a sense of purpose and engagement among their employees.

5. Future-Proofing Business Operations with Circularity

As the global economy transitions towards a more sustainable and circular model, enterprises that fail to adapt risk becoming obsolete. By embracing circularity now, all leaders can future-proof their organizations, positioning them to thrive in an increasingly resource-constrained and environmentally conscious world.

"The circular economy is becoming a core component of forward-looking business strategy. By rethinking the way we design, make, and use products and materials, companies can open up new opportunities for growth and value creation while reducing risks and increasing resilience." - Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility

Implementing circularity is not just a matter of compliance or public relations; it's a strategic imperative that can drive long-term value creation, innovation, and resilience for enterprises. As leaders, the time to act is now – by integrating circularity into their organizational strategies, they can pave the way for a more sustainable, efficient, and future-ready business landscape.

 Want to learn more about embracing circularity. Let's grab a coffee. 

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Overcoming 9 major first, middle and last mile challenges for truly efficient deliveries

Over the last few years, we have all gotten a little more insight into the challenges within supply chains. Every step needed in getting a product from sourcing to manufacturing to warehousing to consumers, as what we hope is the final destination (a.k.a reducing landfill waste), is so intricately connected. 

So, when it comes to logistics and supply chain management, understanding the different stages of transportation then becomes crucial to literally keep things moving. 

Taking a quick inventory of your first, middle and last mile logistics helps to identify any blockers or limitations within your supply chain. And, each of these segments present unique challenges that require careful planning and execution.

First, how do we define each of these stages?

Breaking down each mile

First Mile

First mile refers to the initial stage of transportation, where goods are picked up from the manufacturer or warehouse and transported to a distribution center or hub. This stage is often the most critical as it sets the foundation for the entire transportation process. Proper planning and coordination are needed to ensure that goods are picked up on time and transported to the next destination without any issues.

Middle Mile

Middle mile refers to the stage of transportation where goods are transported from a distribution center or hub to a regional or national distribution center. This stage is focused on efficiency and speed, as goods need to be delivered to the next destination as quickly as possible. The middle mile is crucial for ensuring that goods are delivered on time and in the right condition.

Last Mile

Last mile refers to the final stage of transportation, where goods are delivered from a distribution center or hub to the customer's doorstep. This stage is the most visible to customers and is critical for ensuring that goods are delivered on time and in good condition. The last mile is also where the customer's experience is shaped, so it's important to have a reliable and efficient process in place.

When these stages are all working together, retailers’ operations become much more efficient and customers’ experiences become more positive.

However, these also come with their own transportation challenges…

Efficiently managing the first, middle, and last mile is essential for logistics companies to ensure timely and cost-effective delivery. When they aren’t working efficiently, the challenges can be quite painful. 

These challenges could look like:

First Mile

• Lack of visibility: Limited information about inventory and shipment status at the start of the supply chain can lead to delays and inefficiencies
• Fragmented transportation networks: Connecting various suppliers, manufacturers, and logistics providers within the first mile can be complex, leading to potential bottlenecks and disruptions
• Scalability: Rapidly scaling up operations to meet increasing demand can strain resources and logistics capabilities, making it difficult to ensure smooth operations

Middle Mile

• Optimal route planning: Determining the most efficient routes to transport goods between various points can be complex, especially when considering factors like traffic congestion, weather conditions, and regulatory restrictions.
• Freight consolidation: Efficiently consolidating shipments from multiple sources into larger loads helps reduce costs and improve overall transportation efficiency. However, coordinating and managing this consolidation process can be challenging.
• Inventory management: Maintaining accurate inventory data and visibility throughout the middle mile is crucial to prevent stockouts or excess inventory, as well as to optimize replenishment strategies.

Last Mile

• Complex urban environments: Delivering goods in densely populated areas with limited parking, traffic congestion, and intricate delivery routes can significantly impact delivery time and cost.
• Customer expectations: Rising customer expectations for faster and more flexible delivery options, such as same-day or time-specific deliveries, put pressure on logistics companies to meet these demands.
• Last-mile connectivity: Ensuring seamless connectivity between various delivery modes, such as trucks, drones, or autonomous vehicles, requires overcoming regulatory, infrastructure, and operational challenges.

What can you do about these challenges?

To minimize the transportation risks in your supply chain, here are five adjustments you can make:

• Invest in technology: Implementing advanced tracking and inventory management systems provides real-time visibility and enables efficient planning and coordination
• Collaboration and partnerships: Building strong partnerships with suppliers, manufacturers, and transportation providers helps streamline operations and enhance efficiency
• Automation and optimization: Leveraging automation technologies, such as robotics and AI, improves process efficiency and reduces manual errors.
• Warehouse optimization: Implementing advanced warehouse management systems (WMS) enables efficient inventory management, order fulfillment, and consolidation processes. Optimizing warehouse layout and using automation technologies like robotics can improve operational efficiency and reduce costs.
• Customer communication and self-service: Providing customers with real-time delivery updates, convenient delivery windows, and self-service options for rescheduling or redirecting packages can enhance customer satisfaction.

Each mile is equally as important

Each stage–first mile, middle mile and last mile–is crucial for ensuring that goods are delivered on time and in good condition, and that the customer's experience is positive. 

When you have a deep understanding of these stages, you can optimize your operations, improve your overall efficiency, improve your customer satisfaction and subsequently reduce costs. 

That’s why the ability to track your packages 24/7/365 is critical for today’s retailers. RFID and relying on carrier tracking isn’t going to cut it anymore…

If you’re ready to learn more about how to track your products in real-time at all hours of the day, schedule a call with one of our Reuse Specialists.

The 5 biggest supply chain hurdles in ecommerce

Ecommerce has revolutionized the retail industry, making it easier than ever for consumers to shop online. Amazon, Nordstrom, Etsy, eBay, Apple–all major ecommerce retailers that you’ve likely purchased from at some point or another. 

In 2023, it is estimated that 218.8 million US consumers will shop online, which is roughly 65% of the entire U.S. population. 

Would you rather shop in stores or online? Hear the bell as you open a door or the click of your mouse as you press “checkout”? 

While I try my best to explore local stores and wander through shops, I’m equally as guilty as anyone else of purchasing online and getting excited for the moment when the delivery man leaves it on my front porch and rings the doorbell.

I get excited for something that will likely arrive days into the future rather than the instant gratification if I were to stroll over to the store in person. Yet, consumers today spend so much time shopping online for that same feeling of instant gratification only it’s at the tip of their fingers when they click “checkout”, rather than the instant gratification of paying and taking it home then and there.

In other words, the “retail apocalypse” is among us.

What is that exactly?

The “retail apocalypse” is a recent term that describes the movement of consumers from brick and mortar retailers to the online, ecommerce space.

In 2022, ecommerce sales:

• Were estimated at $1,034.1 billion
  • An increase of 7.7 percent from 2021
• Accounted for 14.6 percent of total sales

Digitization has increased the ability of all retailers to grow their sales, and when the integration between online and offline is done correctly it is inevitable that this will trigger a real, virtuous circle.

However, running an ecommerce business comes with its own set of challenges, especially when it comes to the supply chain. 

5 biggest hurdles

1. Inventory Management
   • One of the biggest hurdles in the supply chain for ecommerce retailers is managing inventory. Without a physical store, retailers rely on accurate inventory data to ensure that they have the right products in stock to meet customer demand.
   • The #1 reason people shop online is that they’re able to shop at all hours of the day. This means that your inventory management system needs to be spot on as there likely isn’t anyone there managing the backend at 2am…
   • Tip–get a good understanding of your inventory control. If you can understand when to reorder, how much to reorder, how many more to order, and how long stock can stay in and out of the warehouse, you’ll be able to keep your ecommerce inventory solid.
   • Managing inventory is a huge undertaking, and it can be especially challenging for retailers that sell a wide variety of products.

2. Fulfillment
   • Another hurdle in the supply chain for ecommerce retailers is fulfilling orders. And important to distinguish, warehouses and ecommerce fulfillment are not the same thing. With more and more ecommerce buyers, retailers are facing increased pressure to get products to customers faster and cheaper. This requires a well-coordinated fulfillment process that includes everything from warehouse management to shipping and tracking.
   • Many times, it can be more cost-effective to work with a partner on ecommerce fulfillment, but of course, do your research first.

3. Returns and Refunds
   • Returns and refunds are a part of any retail business, but they can be particularly challenging for ecommerce retailers as there may not be a physical location for one to return an item back to the store. Understandably, returns and refunds can cause disruptions in the supply chain, and managing them can be time-consuming and costly.
   • The reverse logistics of your ecommerce is important to keep happy customers. The 5 R’s of reverse logistics include: returns, recalls, repairs, repackaging and recycling.
   • Focus on having a solution for the 5 R’s–a fully fledged returns strategy–and your customers will come back time and time again.

4. Global Shipping
   • Ecommerce retailers often sell to customers all over the world, which can lead to complex and costly logistics. Shipping internationally can be difficult, especially when dealing with customs, tariffs and taxes.
   • But, the reward is high. Statista has the average order value of an international sale at $147, which is 17% higher compared to an average domestic sale.
   • Tip–work with a last mile carrier that can help you find the most efficient–price, delivery time and metrics. 
   • Extra tip–USPS is typically the most cost-effective carrier internationally.

5. Cybersecurity
   • As unfortunate as this is, ecommerce retailers are also facing an increasing threat of cyber attacks. Protecting sensitive customer data and financial information is critical to maintaining the trust of customers and can be a significant hurdle in the supply chain.
   • Today’s supply chains are highly interconnected so if one is breached, the rest of the chain may be vulnerable as well.
   • A report from NCC Group found that supply chain cyber attacks increased by 51 percent between July and December 2021. 
   • Visibility is a high priority–companies need to know what’s going on across the supply chain, and where their inventory is at, at all times to reduce the risk of cyber attacks. 

Uncover your barriers

Ecommerce retailers face a number of hurdles in the supply chain, from managing inventory and fulfilling orders to dealing with returns and international shipping. 

While these hurdles will not disappear, there are efficient and effective ways to make them more manageable. 

When you understand where your specific hurdles are, you can implement strategies to overcome them to improve your operations and increase your bottom line.

A big component of LimeLoop’s Smart Reusable Packaging is in the word “smart”–our technology. Your ecommerce supply chain is only as good as your ability to track and manage where your products are at all times. And saving the environment one package at a time 

If you have questions about how our technology and reusable packaging can augment your supply chain management, please schedule a call.

Designing for an Ecommerce economy

We now live in a digital culture.

And it has fundamentally shifted the shopping and packaging experience from the corner store (1900’s) to the store and the door (1990’s).  Key examples include companies that have embraced the change – Warby Parker (once Lenscrafters), Third Love (once Victoria Secret, now For Love and Lemons ), Everlane (once Gap), and Casper (once Serta). Companies are using digital to create a brand, and a brand experience, rather than push products. For example, Casper, which doesn’t promote itself as merely a mattress company, but rather a digital-first brand focused around the concept of sleep. Jonathan Ringan noted, in Fast Company:

“Casper sees itself less as a simple mattress company and more as a lifestyle-driven enterprise that looks at sleep as a unique, optimizable category comparable to exercise or cooking or travel.”

With increased clickable convenience, online shopping continued to gain momentum. According to a 2016 Pew Research Center study, by desktop or mobile, 79 percent of Americans made purchases online – compared with 22 percent in 2000. In addition, 15 percent of adult shoppers made an online purchase once per week and 28 percent made multiple monthly online purchases. In 2017, 5 billion items worldwide shipped with Amazon Prime (63 percent of Amazon customers).

Further still, momentum propelled ecommerce forward as the pandemic kept people inside and shifted retail away from brick and mortar, seeing a 25% spike in March 2020 alone. The digital age transformed the supply chain over the years, but the future of ecommerce is here. Therefore, designing for an ecommerce economy, for a circular economy, requires retail and ecommerce retailers to think outside the current systems still designed for the corner store, from point of order to delivery. If not, we’ll see a widening post-purchase gap, rising unsustainable costs to people and the planet, and a continuing shift in global relations and processes.

Post Purchase Gap

First, it is important to look at the experiential economy or specifically in this case, the post-purchase gap and how it relates to future generations. Millennials crave a new experience both in store and at the door. Gen Z, at 60 million strong in the United States, demand it. “Compared to any generation that has come before, they are less trusting of brands. Authenticity and transparency are two ideals that they value highly,” says Emerson Spartz, CEO of the digital media company Dose.

Today, when a customer makes a purchase online, there’s an “experience gap” from the time the customer checks out to when the product arrives. This is the new experiential moment for digital shoppers. According to Amit Sharma at HBR,

“Providing a positive experience at this time of anticipation is a tremendous opportunity for retailers to deepen their relationships with customers and build loyalty for their brands. Surprisingly, only 16% of companies are focused on customer retention, even though it costs at least five times more to acquire a new customer than to keep an existing one.”

More than ever, customers want personalized shopping experiences from point of order to delivery and beyond. And with customer LTV becoming more and more important as the ecommerce momentum continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible, retailers find themselves paying higher and higher costs while the gap between consumer and retailer continues to widen. When is enough, enough?

UNSUSTAINABLE COSTS

Ecommerce customers, today, receive their products in a cardboard box, most likely in an OCC (old corrugated cardboard). The continued growth of online shopping and retail closings (70 million sq ft to close in 2018) have created a massive transition in the OCC (old corrugated containers) recovery market.

“There is a shift taking place and it’s more from the consumers. It’s a question of where that packaging material is going to end up and is it going to be as easy for us to capture,?” said Ben Harvey of Massachusetts hauler.

The United States designed its current recycling program over 50 years ago to take on cardboard consumption from retailers. While effective in its day, recycling centers and the planet can’t keep up with the ecommerce influx. And, the world is changing more in 10 years now than it used to change in 100 years, including rates and ways each generation consumes.

To keep up with the rapid change, innovative recycling companies are revamping their current systems. For example, Recology, a San Francisco serviced recycling center, is investing over $11 million dollars to add new processing equipment and supporting citywide taxes (15%) to account for the massive shift in receiving recycling from consumers versus retailers. While Recology is revamping to create temporary solutions, we must consider if the rest of the country can keep up with the rising cost and the impact to the environment we live in.

Today, humans are currently consuming nature 1.7 times faster than ecosystems can regenerate. The average American consumes its weight in trash each month and 165 billion packages and envelopes are shipped each year. Sixty-five billion parcel packages are shipped worldwide. 178 million parcel packages are shipped daily. This is a daily consumption of 1.2 million trees, 242 million gallons of water, and 5 million gallons of oil.

With the future of retail, we must consider the triple-bottom line – people, planet, and profit – as we build out more sustainable systems and collectively work to reduce and reuse what’s in circulation already, rather than just recycle.

SHIFT IN GLOBAL RELATIONS

To top it off, a recent shift in global policy will continue to impact the current supply chain systems in place. For example, the U.S. exports about one-third of its recycling, and nearly half goes to China. For decades, China has used recyclables from around the world to supply its manufacturing boom. But last year, it declared that this “foreign waste” includes too many other non recyclable materials that are “dirty,” even “hazardous.” In a filing with the World Trade Organization the country listed 24 kinds of solid wastes it would ban “to protect China’s environmental interests and people’s health.”

With e-commerce on the rise, the question becomes, do we revamp outdated systems or design a new one to solve for the growing costs to people and the planet? At LimeLoop we are designing a new one for the digital culture. Specifically, we are reimagining the packaging experience. First, by replacing recycled packaging with reusable packaging. Second, with sensored packaging to complete the brand experience loop. Packages that are received and sent back and reused, over and over again. With insights in where your package is and its state at all times, too boot. In return, is a high integrity system and experience for an environmentally sound world for many generations to come.

Behind the green: a conversation between co-founders

Behind the Green: a Podcast Conversation Between the Founders of LimeLoop, CTO Chantal Emmanuel and CEO Ashley Etling.

Chantal: if you weren’t an entrepreneur, what would you be doing?

Ashley: Probably something in food and wine. And, I always said, too, that if I didn’t get into entrepreneurship, I’d probably still be in school, because one way or another you are constantly learning, and I think that’s something with food and wine as well. While they seem so simple, there’s endless opportunities for both. 

Chantal: For sure, I was trying to think of what my answer to this would be, and similarly I think that there is something about building and making and food that each lends itself to that that’s very similar to the building of a company too.

Ashley: Yeah I think that in those really long days I joke: “Why don’t I just make cheese?” And someone tells me, “you can’t just make cheese, Ashley. It would have to be the world renowned cheese…” So I think it’s the love for making and making at scale. 

Chantal: …But is there anything like that where you set out with a hypothesis, or you thought you understood something, and through this journey has completely kind of turned that around for you?

Ashley: I think anyone who says “no” to that would be completely off in what they are saying, in any journey that they go down, especially building a new company. As you get deeper into the problem, new problems arise, and so that’s why I love it so much, oddly. And especially when you are working in supply-chain logistics, there is so much that goes into it. As you get into it, you realize some new things. I think one thing we quickly realized, which we were kind of thinking we would run into, is consumer behavior change, that making this shift to actually bringing your boxes out to the recycling bin versus leaving it on your front door would be a large shift, but actually we found really quickly that people were so delighted by this shift and feeling a relief of guilt. 

As we started working with warehouse management systems, [we found] a lot of software that a lot of 3PLs and DC centers use to actually fulfill orders were all designed for retail 150 years ago. Some were up to speed, some were not, some were in the middle. So being able to generate a third or a second label actually created more challenges than we ever thought would bring up into the system. So we continue to run into things like that, but the beautiful part of a problem solving team is that you constantly ask, can you solve that manually, [or] can you solve it with software, and I think that’s a continued fun of what we are working on.

Chantal: For sure, and you answered my next question which I feel like people ask me sometimes, “Why are you a logistics company? Aren’t you a packaging company?” And I think even when you brought the idea to me, I’m like “that sounds great, but why do you need a CTO for reusable packaging?” and I think you just hit the nail on the head that the packaging is really just one part of it, but I would love to hear you elaborate on the bigger system, on the bigger vision for that.

Ashley: Yeah, I mean I constantly talk to really, really inspiring, smart people within the industry and [when] you start to talk about that, we always look at this bigger vision where we all have this kind of coined word that has kind of become a buzz word which is ‘autonomous delivery,’ and these robots moving around almost back to The Jetsons. And, you know we’re not that far off, but we’re far enough off that 10 years of continuing to build up and do things the way we are will have that double bottom line impact on the environment and then also move into the profitability of a lot of these brands. So, we really looked at this ‘what’s the in-between’ until we get to that true autonomous delivery, and I think that’s where I continue to be excited that we are building up to this bigger vision where eventually we eliminate packaging, which is very exciting. 

Chantal: Cannot wait. Clearly there is still a pile. 

I think everyone assumes that we don’t order online and if anything it’s the opposite where we are feeling this pain and where we are looking for our own solution as well.

Ashley: Yeah, and I still get so excited when a LimeLoop shipper shows up at the front door [amid] a pile of cardboard boxes is just such, such a delight

Chantal: Oh, it stands out in the best way possible. What does it take to scale something like LimeLoop?

Ashley: The two big things I always say and have on my computer when I wake up in the morning is ‘simplify, simplify, simplify,’ which brings it back to focus of what we’re truly trying to solve, because it is a huge, huge problem and many layers that go underneath that, and then 100 nos equals one yes.

You’re going to continue to come across the people who actually don’t understand and don’t know where that’s going, but then the yeses are where the collaboration comes in and really starts to bring it to that scale. So by taking those core basics and building that solid foundation, that’s where we can start to see a scale. And then the other part is just the full collaboration of carriers and consumers and brands to really spearhead this, and that becomes this really incredible vision that we can’t wait for, when you go to UPS or FedEx, and you drop off the LimeLoop shipper, and you get to come in behind me and actually grab that shipper and use it for a package as well.

Chantal: I love that. Obviously, we have our big goals, but then the smaller goals I have in my own head are one of things like when a friend or family member calls me up and gets a package … and then a lot of the things we see posting online that has a lot of testing is that people are looking for this solution or are excited about the future of it. And those collaborations, as you mentioned, are another one where those folks are reaching out because they recognize that you start to see it all start melding together. 

But, The elephant in the room of this year that is Covid-19, you know obviously when we think about ecommerce, we think about packets, we can’t’ really think about that without thinking about Covid-19, so [I’m] curious about how you see that relationship and what has to happen next in response to it.

Ashley: I think what Covid-19 revealed in the supply-chain is that we’re not clear where all of our supply sits. And when we have something so critical as Covid and needing immediate help from PPP all the way to basic needs like toilet paper and food and water, when you’re unaware where that inventory is and where to move it, that’s where we really start to show that [smart reusable packaging] is a true critical need as we move forward, especially with ecommerce. So what we found very quickly, the road map we had developed was accelerated 3-5 years which is what we are seeing with most software companies that we’re now living in 2023 yet we have 2019 technology that’s built for that.

So it’s this rapid increase to develop and to push forward, so on one end it’s been incredible to be a part of it and to be that solution. On the other end, it’s just really pulling together as much as possible to work collaboratively to be able to move into 2023, and sometimes I think people feel it overnight.

Chantal: Exactly. That’s been one of the positives through this all, too – these big brands had to figure out how to work almost like a startup and change on the drop of a dime when the suppliers are calling from China that they can’t deliver, what does that mean for your next one. And so for us who have been living in that world from the very beginning, it’s very serendipitous that we are able to come in and provide that solution for other sustainability for these brands, which is amazing. 

For more and to listen to the full episode, find the LimeLoop podcast Behind the Green wherever you get your podcasts.