These past few days, I have learned so much about green supply chain management. Going into this class as a global logistics minor, I had a good understanding of what supply chain management was, as supply chain and logistics are somewhat similar. However, I was not as aware of how to make the supply chain more green and environmentally friendly. Throughout the lectures, reading the textbook, and conversing with my classmates, I feel much more confident in my understanding of what a green supply chain actually means.

A green supply chain is simply one that includes sustainable practices throughout the process of turning raw materials into finished goods. Here, using recycled materials, reducing waste, and conserving energy is a top priority. Companies can take steps towards obtaining a green supply chain by implementing eco-design within their supply chain. This can include reducing any excess packaging, designing their products to be made recycled after use, designing for long-term use, and of course, becoming as energy efficient as possible.

One of the most important key takeaways I have found over the last few days was the concepts of the linear and circular economy. In a linear economy, raw materials go through the process of being transformed into a finished good, where by the end of the process, waste is discarded with not much consideration of how it affects the environment. On the contrary, a circular economy is one that has eliminated waste altogether. The circular economy involves reusing, refurbishing, and of course recycling materials as much as possible. It is much better for the environment and is sustainably friendly when done correctly. In a perfect world, the circular economy is the ideal system that would be implemented everywhere.

When learning about the circular economy, I found it to be interesting how whenever companies invest their efforts into becoming more sustainable, there are exceptional benefits. Some of these include lowered costs, improved brand reputation, a higher market share, and of course an increased competitive advantage. This is due to the fact that more and more consumers are wanting to buy from companies that are making sustainable products. Recent trends from the next generation show individuals are starting to care more and more about the environment and want to see it prosper. We can see this easily in our daily lives through many trends such as reusable water bottles and bags, reduction in the use of plastic, and recycling wherever possible. Consumers no longer want to buy from companies that are harming the environment and are highly interested in supporting green companies. As far as trends go, these are some of the best ones that could come, because they support a circular economy. At this rate, I am very hopeful for the future and the generations that are next to come.

During these past three days in Supply Chain Management, I have learned much about the industry and its relevance to our everyday lives. Before taking this class, I was unsure about the concept of Supply Chain as I had little knowledge about the degree to which it pertained. One of the most interesting concepts has been learning about the environmental impacts supply chains leave and the degrees of harm they cause. It is compelling to hear how companies have limits and restrictions on materials and the amount they can use to limit the pollution produced into the environment. I think we have a long way to go regarding protecting the environment from pollution, especially in the US, where mass production seems to be our forte. However, it is amazing to hear how certain companies are trying so hard to limit the pollution they put into the environment. It is so interesting learning about all of the different laws that are in place, withholding regulations and restrictions with this matter, and how Green Supply Chain is its own market.

Recently, I have really enjoyed learning about the forward supply chain objective as well as the reverse logistics method. In a forward supply chain, there is a more linear way of production which tends to be a more simple and predictable process. However, that is not the case for reverse logistics. Reverse logistics is incredibly interesting because it has to do with the return of products consumers send back to the sender. I didn’t know how complex of a system a simple return can be, but it’s a very calculated system built of many parts. I found it fascinating to learn how this process works and how returning a product to the sender has a whole different progress, which is extremely complex. We tend not to think about how complicated these processes are; we tend to follow the directions we are given when returning a package. However, learning about the system’s technicalities provides a new perspective when thinking about simple, mundane tasks.  

Additionally, I found it fascinating to learn about the new 3Rs and how these concepts have changed and evolved over time to keep up with protecting the environment. Learning about remanufacturing and how a company will replace a broken part of a product instead of wasting the whole thing and buying a new one was incredibly enlightening. I am extremely excited to continue this class and learn more about the relationship between the consumer and producer in the supply chain.