Circular Supply Chains with Deborah Dull

Circular Supply Chains with Deborah Dull

Deborah Dull and Joe Lynch discuss circular supply chains. Deborah is the founder of The Circular Supply Chain Network where supply chain practitioners and thought leaders connect to explore how supply chain can accelerate the transition to a circular economy

About Deborah Dull

Deborah Dull is Founder of The Circular Supply Chain Network and a Principal of Manufacturing Product Management for GE Digital where she is responsible for circular economy, lean management, and customer success. Prior to that she was a Program Officer for Health Supply Chains at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and spent six years at Microsoft where she oversaw launch management, inventory management, and innovation. She is a sought after author and speaker having been published in various books, articles, and white papers and spoken at dozens of industry events. Deborah holds Supply Chain & Operations Management degrees from Western Washington University (BA) and the University of Liverpool (MSc), with a thesis focused on the digital supply chain.

About the Circular Supply Chain Network

The Circular Supply Chain Network connects supply chain practitioners and thought leaders to explore how supply chain can accelerate the transition to a circular economy, and the capabilities and technologies we need to transform every supply chain into a circular supply chain. Circular supply chains are interconnected systems that use secondary and regenerative inputs to generate value by reducing and extending resource use. Join the Circular Supply Chain Network to be among the first to know when we have live discussions, webinars, new courses, and more!

Key Takeaways: Circular Supply Chains

• Circular Supply Chain
  • A circular supply chain is where the raw materials used are recycled back into the manufacturing operation. The materials that normally would end up in a garbage dump are repurposed into the production of another product.
  • The goal is to monetize waste - the output of one supply becomes an input for another supply chain.
  • Overall, the point of a lean or circular supply chain is to simply eliminate waste and reduce the carbon footprint.
  • Opportunities to make better use of the materials we are using today.
  • Finding ways to operationalize the circular supply chain.
  • Everything that's not used anymore can be used again.
  • Circular supply chains find and monetize waste.
• Sustainable brands
  • Finding ways to be more profitable, environmentally friendly, and good for the consumers and customers we serve.
  • Brands are already selling the idea they are sustainable, so it is important that logistics and supply chain companies become more sustainable.
  • The entire supply chain needs to be sustainable - good for people, planet, and profit.
  • To become more sustainable, add one KPIs that relates to sustainability.
• New Generation of Consumers
  • New generations (Gen Z) defend their values fiercely and are looking for sustainable brands and jobs that align to their values.
  • Maybe consumers are willing to pay extra for products from sustainable companies.
• Is circular economy more expensive?
  • If companies are are using post-consumer materials as inputs to the supply chains, the costs are lower and there is an opportunity to earn profit the same or even higher than with a traditional (linear) supply chain.
• Making the supply chain shorter
  • Finding ways to eliminate processes - rethink the input and outputs to the supply chain.
  • Cutting out the thousands of miles from shipping across the world.
  • It's sometimes difficult to open up a facility in the states, and that's why it's opened up somewhere else.
  • Factories do not have to be huge and polluting.
  • Small factory trend or in-door farming.
  • Finding ways to be profitable without having the move away from the states.
  • Circular economy allows cheaper jobs.
  • Decentralized lands.
• Analyzing data
  • Chasing empty miles is not just to be more profitable it's also to avoid a larger impact on the planet.
  • Creativity over capital.

Learn More about Circular Supply Chains

The Circular Supply Chain Network

Deborah Dull

The Circular Supply Chain LinkedIn Profile

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