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

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

  • S1E44
  • 23:12
  • November 9th 2020

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/

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PoVs, visit supplychainqueen.com and supplychainrevolution.com

Supply Chain Revolution

The Supply Chain Revolution podcast is a series focused on the latest trends and innovations in sustainability and supply chain management. The podcast is hosted by Sheri Hinish, also known as the Supply Chain Queen, who is a sustainability consultant and digital transformation expert, and features interviews with a wide range of supply chain professionals, thought leaders, and entrepreneurs.

The podcast covers a variety of topics related to the supply chain revolution, including digital transformation, sustainability, circular economy, diversity and inclusion, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, data analytics, and robotics. Each episode features in-depth discussions and insights from guests, providing a valuable resource for supply chain professionals looking to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and best practices in the field.

The Supply Chain Revolution podcast is known for its engaging and thought-provoking content, and has been featured in numerous publications and media outlets. It is a great resource for anyone interested in learning more about the rapidly evolving world of supply chain management, and for professionals seeking to improve their skills and stay ahead of the curve in this dynamic field.

Join podcast host, Sheri Hinish also called the Supply Chain Queen, and reimagine the future of how we interact with the world and business in the decade of our lives. In each episode, provocative points of view that challenge paradigms for progress are evangelized holding the SDGs, purpose, and diversity as a business imperative as a North Star. This is the TOP Supply Chain podcast unpacking the future of supply chain that explores shifts in generational, social, environmental, technological, and "the people side" of leading change in transformation.

The Supply Chain Revolution is the supply chain podcast that highlights progressive ideas that challenge the status quo, giving people access to insights, strategies, and tools to make better choices that shape critical aspects of their business and personal lives, building transformational change for a better, sustainable world.

This is the supply chain podcast for supply chain leaders, thinkers, dreamers, doers, learners, builders, and supply chain professionals who want to change the world using a different approach to traditional supply chain, leadership, circular economy, digital transformation, sustainability, diversity and inclusion, technology, strategy, and camaraderie to create new ways of working in the supply chain revolution. We are an inclusive group where all are welcomed and represented.

Learn more at http://www.supplychainqueen.com

The host Sheri Hinish believes supply chains can save the planet, save lives, and transform traditional business models. Recognized as 2022, 2021, 2020 & 2019 Supply & Demand Chain Executive "Pro to Know," a 2021 Top 100 Women in Supply Chain Award winner, and recipient of the 2020 Global Women Supply Chain Leaders Award, Sheri Hinish is a leading advocate, strategist, and influencer in supply chain, sustainability & the SDGs, leading with purpose, and change management in digital transformations. She is a Principal and Global Lead for Innovation + Ecosystem at EY and formally the Global Lead for Sustainability, Alliances, and Strategy at IBM.

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