Extensive research shows how recycling waste products through multilevel eco-industrial networks benefits physical, spatial, economic, and environmental conditions. Industrial Symbiosis is the relationship between two more firms that exchange their waste as feedstock for their production processes. Through studying various firms and industrial networks, researchers have concluded that recycling the materials used in the supply chain and production greatly affects the environment and the company itself. However, many eco-industrial limits prevent the use of certain materials in design and production. During the identification and documentation of case studies, a total of 45 waste types were identified, and the documents included both cases of energy exchange and cases of material resources exchange. Cases of industrial waste exchange were also identified through research as well as cases of end-of-life-cycle product exchange. However, the study only included end-of-life-cycle products if industrial waste was also exchanged within the same network. The businesses participating in industrial symbiosis are scattered throughout Greece, and trucks were primarily used for the production of waste within the country, whereas ships were primarily used for transportation abroad.

The transportation of waste across such large distances remains profitable due to the relatively low cost of transporting cargo in containers by sea, while the environmental benefit in these cases remains to be investigated. Regarding superheated water, the country aims to avoid heat loss, which increases with increasing transport distance. On the same note, Greece tries as best as it can to produce organic waste and residues to avoid high emissions of toxic waste. Organic waste can be easily used by other companies in the agriculture sector, and the nearest end user is generally found within the lowest spatial scale. Wastepaper, which are scraps from various metals and old. tires are collected and often refined and compressed before their transport to recycling companies on the local level to reduce transport costs. Carbon dioxide is also primarily transported at the lowest spatial scale, perhaps due to the difficulties and risks associated with the transport of compressed gasses over long distances. These gasses are either transported by pipes directly from the producer to a nearby receiver or by tank trucks, which should not travel long distances for safety reasons.

Waste compatibility can be considered a distinct factor that concerns the physical characteristics of waste that permit its direct use. This factor strongly affects the spatial allocation scale of the exchange networks for different types of waste.

The eco-innovation observatory is a much-needed information source for companies and innovation service providers, providing a solid decision-making basis for policy development. The observatory provides insight into how sustainable a company is and how much waste they emit into the environment.  The Environmental Performance Index ranks Greece as a stronger performer in the scheme of global rankings. Greece sits in 25th place as the country has an average performance in the areas of air quality, fish stocks, and GHG emissions intensity. However, the country struggles with many challenges, such as air emissions from transport. and electric power stations, overexploitation of its water resources, and loss of marine diversity in various ecosystems around the country. Greece remains to be one of the best countries that prioritize sustainable energy as they continue to be one of the most successful countries in the use of solar thermal energy. A great addition that the country has in mind it the Greek government is preparing a Master Plan for the gradual closure of lignite-burning energy plants in areas where the plants are located. As a result of this plan, the pressures from the generation and treatment of waste have been reduced greatly. As great as this is, the closure of illegal landfills. and illegal metal foundries continue to be a challenge for the country to overcome.

The eco-innovation input index is based on the national indicators of the government’s environmental and energy R&D appropriations and outlays. Greece scored only 79, with the European Union average being 100 in 2018. Compared to 2016, when the country increased its performance considerably, Greece’s performance was only slightly higher, 57. Aside from the more eco-innovation aspects, Greece continues to have one of the lowest performances in socio-economic outcomes. For reference, in 2016, eco-industry exports reached only EUR 56 million but then improved in 2016 when the exports counted to EUR 32 million. Additionally, there was a decrease in total employment from 2016 to 2018. But in 2018, the size of the eco-industry has decreased, with its revenue being 1.32%of total revenue across all companies.

As positive of an impact the eco-innovations have had on the country, the efforts to introduce them in the construction sector slowed down greatly. Due to the economic crisis, companies have sought to explore opportunities afforded by eco-innovations in terms of costs and cater to clients’ needs. As all of these socioeconomic issues have continued, Greece remains to lack a clear and cohesive framework for the support of eco-innovation and eco-industries despite the improvement through various innovations and research projects.

Right when we got off the ferry at Hydra Island, I was enamored by the island’s beautiful sights. The white historic houses on the hills with red roofing and concrete looked so manicured against the blue sea. I got more of a local feel of the island rather than Mykonos, which felt extremely touristy. Although I was surprised from this reading to learn just how much this island also depends on tourism. The reading suggests that tourism is one of, if not the leading source of income for the island. I also loved how the only modes of transportation on the island were by donkey, mule, or water taxi, and this has always been a thing in the island’s history. It was also interesting to learn that the island has competition when it comes to attracting visitors as it is definitely on the smaller scale of tourist attractions, and islands such as Crete, Kos, and Rhodes gain much more attraction leading to more revenue. The island has become greatly expensive over the years, with houses averaging around $5 million, but the island is having trouble with this inflation as the increase in the land process is putting local workers, such as farmers, out of luck. Because of this, many people are wondering if the island will become an oasis for the rich rather than a remote tourist attraction. Unfortunately, Greece as a whole is under an economic crisis and has been for years, as worry that money and young people are fleeing the country however, little islands such as Hydra get the short end of the stick as the government tends to worry about their issues last. The island relies on transportation from the water boat for example, most of Hydra receives its water supply from the mainland, so the provision of a local water supply is not only essential to the locals on the island but for the tourists that generate most of the revenue. The article suggests synergies might be possible for the island as wind power would generate electricity and pump water into a reservoir. Another idea would be to capture rainwater or construct a reservoir to sustain water on the island as easily as possible. Unfortunately, Hydra remains a beautiful little island with Greek culture and significance and is suffering great socio-economic issues that very well have the opportunity to diminish the popularity of it being a tourist attraction and sustainable place to live.

A circular economy is a modern approach to sustainability issues as it focuses on the return of putting materials into the environment. The tagline of reduce-reuse-recycle is now recognized as outdated as our government has realized there is much more we need to focus on when using our resources. A linear economy is a straight-line supply chain consisting of limited and the same points each time. However, a circular economy is completely different as it refrains from using and throwing away materials immediately. It focuses on using and utilizing products as long as possible in order to get the most use out of them to help reduce waste in the environment. A circular economy is made up of a design that targets the reduction of greenhouse gasses, pollution, and traffic congestion. The circular economy also keeps products and materials in use for as long as possible, meaning it favors many different uses for materials rather than a product that is designed for just one use and then discarded. Another benefit of a circular economy is that it regenerates living systems, meaning it avoids using fossil fuels and other non-renewable resources to return valuable nutrients to the soil and actively improves the environment for recirculation. A simple slogan adopted for a circular economy by chemist Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier states, “nothing is lost, everything is transformed”. This slogan means that, unlike a linear system where reusal and degeneration are not a priority, a closed-loop system focuses on bending an industry back into harmony with nature to restore its ability to prosper and grow. Essentially, a circular economy can mimic the lifestyle of Earth, which also exists in a circular, life-cycle motion.

A linear system works in a way where the producer creates and distributes a product to the consumer, and then after the consumer uses the product in its entirety (usually one and done), the product is sent to landfills, where it will be broken down after thousands of years. This system emits a great amount of greenhouse gasses and pollution into the environment as large amounts of energy from the planet are required to break down these products. A circular economy has a much more sustainable approach, where the raw materials used to create a product are no longer virgin, and they are captured and recaptured for further reuse, repair, disassembly, and remanufacturing to create additional and improved products.

As we can see, a circular economy aims to limit the amount of waste we produce when we use our products and target the reduction of pollutants and greenhouse gasses in the environment. A circular economy is what will help give our planet the longevity we strive for when working with the supply chain.

Both of the guest speakers that came into our Supply Chain Management class brought insightful information on the topic of sustainability in Greece as well as the US embassy. The guest speaker regarding sustainability at the American College of Greece was super passionate about the topic and provided good insight into how the college has been changing its campus. She explained how they have a sustainability club on campus, which encourages everybody to join in keeping the sustainability conversation relevant. Also, the guest speaker mentioned how the college is fighting for the usual renewable water bottle on campus, as she mentioned it is more common for students from the United States to carry reusable water bottles around. She said that plastic water bottles are very popular in their culture. However, this is obviously very detrimental to the environment. She explained how the campus will have to build water stations, which can be costly, so that is their current hurdle. It was amazing to hear how passionate the speaker was about this topic and how she knows there is a lot of work to be done on campus.

I found the guest speakers from the US Embassy incredibly fascinating, and I was so excited to hear everything they had to say about their lines of work. The lady was explaining how she had to intention of working for the government during or even after college, but as she gained her experience, she realized it might be something she’d be interested in. She explained the application process to the Embassy and how she got rejected several times but had to work with the system in order to eventually become accepted. She provided helpful advice regarding applying for jobs, and I admired her dedication and focus. She went on to describe the lifestyle of the employees in the Embassy, and I was completely shocked by how much traveling and moving it requires. She told us that employees are required to move every 4 years, around the world, to various locations. She explained that when you have a family, it is obviously more challenging however the Embassy provides great accommodations for a family. For example, the government will pay for the children to go to school, so the kids end up going to prestigious private schools. She also explained how the government pays for various expenses such as housing, travel, and education, so the job comes with many perks. Hearing her story taught me that it takes a specific person to do this occupation, and even though the pay might not be the best, the benefits that come with traveling around the world are worth it.

Yesterday when we went to Hydra Island, I was so excited to see the beautiful scenery when the ferry pulled up! It reminded me of Mykonos Island, as there was a cute little village with houses on the hills that overlooked the water. Hydra, however, was smaller and provided more of a local-friendly feel. One of the coolest things about Hydra is that there were no cars but donkeys instead were the mode of transportation around the island. Right once we got off the boat, we were so eager to find a way to access the water, so we did some discovering and found a rocky little cliff that overlooked the water. We were sunbathing and quickly got toasted from the heat, so we jumped into the water asap. The water was so refreshing from the heat; since it was so much saltier than the oceans we are used to, it was much easier to float! After a day of swimming, we met up with everyone for lunch on top of the mountain! For lunch, I got pasta with red sauce, and of course, there was a Greek salad with other appetizers. Hydra was such a good change of scenery, and it was so refreshing being so close to the water and being able to swim!

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.