Recycling, Blockchain & Reverse Supply Chains, the Business Case for Sustainability & Recycling Plastics, and Social Environmentalism w/ Stan Chen of Recycle Go

The wastes from plastics and electronics are putting increased
pressure on the recycling industry and reverse supply chains.
Despite massive initiatives by public and private organizations,
recycling rates remain low and progress remains slow. Estimates
suggest there are 400 million tons of plastic produced each year,
which is projected to more than double by 2050. Around 40% of
plastic packaging is said to be landfilled, and another 32%
leaked into the environment and not reused, according to the
World Economic Forum.


Nine-tenths of all solid waste in the United States does not get
recycled. While landfills are among the biggest contributors to
soil pollution (roughly 80% of the items buried in landfills
could be recycled), our take-make-waste mindset and transition
away from a linear economy presets a transformative opportunity.
What’s the business case for change, for moving toward a
sustainable and circular world? Recycling is a difficult
business. The whole process is full of inefficiencies, has many
stakeholders, and a lack of digital data to track a product's
journey from creation to destruction. The challenge for the
recycling business is supply chain visibility and traceability.


In Episode 44, Sheri Hinish chats with Stan Chen of RecycleGo.
Stan is a 2nd generation recycler and believes there is a way to
make supply chains sustainable and scale the circular economy-
particularly how we use and source plastics- using disruptive
innovation like blockchain, and data analytics. This episode was
recorded just days after the US presidential election and Stan
explores his experience as a 1st generation Asian American,
growing up in the midst of racial change and while honoring his
father’s legacy as a Taiwanese recycler. Irvington, N.J.-based
recycling technology solutions provider RecycleGO is using
Hyperledger Fabric, an open-sourced blockchain framework, to
build a platform for any type of recyclable material to be
tracked throughout its lifecycle. If you’re interested in
learning about the impact of plastics, micros plastics, social
environmentalism and its impacts, and innovation in recycling
using technology like blockchain, this episode is for you. 


We also dive into the importance for making the business case in
sustainability investments and the ROI period. The power of your
purse is real and there’s never been a better time to invest in
your future.


Benefits of using a SaaS, blockchain solution for recycling like
RecycleGo include:


1.    Cross-organization supply chain
recycling tracking that enables data transparency and
provenance





2.    Tracking individual plastic items
across their lifecycles to create incentives that reward
manufacturers for designing easy-to-reuse or recycle plastics.
Because reuse and recycling of products is so essential
to the creation of sustainable supply chains, this data will
be invaluable for businesses that make eco-friendliness a top
priority.


3.    Providing better recycling
incentives for consumers to reduce accumulated plastics in
oceans and mass-ingestion of microplastics worldwide.





To learn more about Stan Chen and RecycleGo,
visit https://recyclego.com/
and https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanchen/


To explore provocative


PoVs, visit supplychainqueen.com and supplychainrevolution.com