Advancing the Circular Economy of Plastics through eCommerce
Name
Backstrom_Kumar_Project_Advancing the Circular Economy of Plastics through eCommerce.pdf
Description
Supply Chain Management capstone research project
Size
1.31 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
e28d8ce0813f574a58f80fc9dab44d86
Author(s)
Backstrom, Jacob
Kumar, Niranjini
Date Issued
June 16, 2021
Abstract
The production growth and short life cycle of plastics has created concerns around its waste management process. Despite efforts to increase recycling over the years, the rate of recycling does not come close to the rate of plastics production. This capstone project develops an innovative and convenient business model that leverages the existing eCommerce logistics network to facilitate a closed-loop supply chain for recycling plastic packaging. We design the model based on the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework, to identify the key stakeholders and define their roles and responsibilities throughout the process. Stakeholder interviews were conducted for validation and feedback, and are incorporated to further refine the model. We develop a universal, adaptable, and scalable financial analysis tool to evaluate the economics of the model. Finally, we provide recommendations on a pilot test to launch, validate, and improve the developed plastics closed-loop supply chain model. Our results highlight that a multi- stakeholder coalition, with a high level of integration and engagement among all the stakeholders, is necessary to make this model a success. Through a collaborative approach, stakeholders can significantly increase the amount of plastics recycled, divert millions of metric tons of plastics from landfills and ocean waste, reduce the need for production of new plastics, and thus, promote sustainability.
Subjects
Retail Operations
Supply Chain Strategy
Warehouse
Terms of Use
CC0 1.0 Universal
Persistent DSpace Link
