The demand for recycled content and sustainable business practices continues to grow rapidly. Join us as we chat with Jeremy Douglas, Director of Partnerships at Delterra, to learn more about reducing plastic waste, creating enhanced waste streams, and utilizing standards to track plastics throughout the supply chain.

Key takeaways: 

• Traceability and transparency are crucial in the global effort to address plastic pollution and promote a circular economy. Delterra is focusing on establishing traceability for recycled plastic from collection to sale. By ensuring accurate measurement and preventing double counting, traceability can boost confidence in using recycled materials and support brands in tracking the origin of recycled plastic in their products.

• Consumer pressure and advocacy have played a significant role in driving change in the waste and recycling systems. This has pushed brands to take action and seek alternatives, such as using more recycled materials. With consumers and stakeholders informed, companies are motivated to improve their plastic footprints and adopt more sustainable practices.

• A global plastics agreement is being negotiated among 175 countries to address plastic pollution effectively. The agreement aims to create a binding document or instrument to end plastic pollution, similar to the structure of the climate change agreement. Themes such as eliminating unnecessary plastics and considering the impact on the informal sector are being discussed. 

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Ever wonder what it’s like to build a brand from the ground up? Or how to take your inventions from an idea to reality? Join us for a conversation with Brian Fried from the National Inventor Club, on best practices when establishing a brand and the steps for commercializing your inventions.

Key takeaways: 

• Connecting with like-minded individuals, seeking advice, and sharing resources are key. This sense of community fosters collaboration, provides support and opens up opportunities for inventors to learn from one another, ultimately increasing their chances of success. 

• From conducting research to determine the uniqueness of an idea to creating a prototype and deciding on the best approach, this process provides a roadmap for success. Strategic decision-making and considering factors such as manufacturing, distribution, and licensing are key.

• Many people overlook the importance of having a genuine barcode on their packaging, which can cause problems when trying to sell to retailers. Purchasing barcodes from third-party sellers online may result in the barcode not matching the brand and potentially getting banned from stores.

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In today’s environment, understanding your supply chain is critical to the success of your business. Join us as we chat with Lisa Anderson, President of LMA Consulting Group, about what’s going on in the supply chain, technology trends, and why it’s important to have standards. 

Key takeaways:

1. The combination of business intelligence, predictive analytics, and other tools can drive positive results for companies and improve decision-making in areas like production, purchasing, and customer needs.

2. Labor shortage is a global issue that is causing bottlenecks and potential problems in the supply chain. Companies need to explore technologies and automation to address this challenge and navigate volatility in the supply chain.

3. Standardizing data and implementing technologies like barcoding and RFID can lead to improved business performance, better forecasting, resource allocation, and material management, resulting in decreased lead times and increased growth. Prioritizing resources and focusing on what will make a difference for customers, revenue, and employee engagement is key.

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Selling on Amazon can be overwhelming and complicated. A lot of Amazon sellers lose 1-3% of their inventory, and most of the time they don’t even know! Join us as we chat with Yoni Mazor from GETIDA, to discuss how to tackle fulfillment issues and put more money back in your pocket when selling on Amazon.

Key takeaways:

1. GETIDA provides software and technology to track inventory in real-time on Amazon's fulfillment centers.

2. Discrepancies in FBA transactions can range from 1% to 3% of revenue. By identifying discrepancies and losses, you can take the necessary steps to protect your business and increase cash flow.

3. To succeed in the online retail space, it's important to continuously learn and adapt to the ever-changing industry. Having a deep knowledge of Amazon’s system and staying up to date will give you the upper hand.

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Today, the speed of change in the market and on Amazon is rapid, making it difficult for brands to keep up and see continued success. But never fear, Shannon Roddy, of Avenue7Media, is here to give us insights into the brand-building strategies you need to succeed on Amazon, and beyond! 

Key takeaways:

1. Building a defensible brand is crucial for long-term success. Invest in building a brand that is recognizable, trustworthy, and unique to differentiate yourself from your competitors.

2. Amazon holds over 50% of the online market and can significantly impact the success or failure of a brand. Harnessing Amazon's data and feedback is crucial for identifying trends, understanding demographics, and developing new products.

3. Leveraging Amazon's platform and customer data can give you a competitive edge, but you need to adapt to changing customer preferences and market demands.

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Coming at you from this year’s GS1 Connect conference in Denver, Reid sits down with six out of the seven finalists for GS1 US’s Startup Lab Pitch Competition. These founders dive into their startup stories, groundbreaking technology solutions, and so much more!

Key takeaways:

1. Every year, the GS1 US Startup Lab Pitch Competition provides partnership opportunities for new and innovative companies.

2. These founders travel from all over the globe to meet up with GS1 Connect attendees, spread the word about their companies, and compete to win prizes.

3. From edible barcodes to sustainable vending machines that dispense refillable containers, this year’s Startup Lab finalists share all about their technology and how they’re making an impact on the supply chain.

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Navigating the future of the healthcare industry may seem like a daunting journey, but don’t fear, digital tools and best practices can help! Join us as we chat with American Expediting about their transition into the life sciences business and how standards play a role in managing change in the healthcare industry.

Key takeaways:

1. From transporting time-sensitive medications for children with renal failure to coordinating organ, blood, and tissue transportation for transplantation, the American Expediting team saves over 2,000 lives every day.

2. Technology is revolutionizing the healthcare industry, helping with organ transplants, predicting patient needs, and improving communication between healthcare providers.

3. The pandemic has significantly shaped the healthcare landscape, prompting innovative changes in patient care.

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Did you know that over 100 million tons of textile waste is produced every year? Online returns are a major contributor to this number and as much as 25% of these items have never been worn! Join us as we chat with Ryan Treft, Founder of Resale.com, to discuss how rethinking reverse logistics can reduce waste and increase recovery in mixed lot inventory.

Key takeaways:

1. Resale.com focuses on redistributing net new items that have been returned in mass to help with the retail’s sustainability problem.

2. Returns can create many problems for big businesses, including issues with space and the time it takes to address these problems. The return rate is also increasing year over year.

3. Resale.com works with enterprise companies that are required to use UPC codes. These UPC codes help companies like Resale.com find accurate information on the inventory they are working with.

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Inventory-limited product buys, like greeting cards, can be time-consuming for consumers and – a lot of the time – may result in them not finding what they truly need. Enter the concept of customized commerce: automated, streamlined, and personalized products on demand. 

David Henry, co-founder of a cutting-edge greeting card company, Card Isle, joins Next Level Supply Chain to talk all about customized commerce. With roots in the engineering space, David took a leap of faith with some of his college classmates to take on the greeting card industry, emphasizing personalization at the forefront.

In this episode, David talks about the inception of Card Isle, and the ways in which customized commerce is revolutionizing the consumer landscape.

Key takeaways:

1. Customized commerce is redefining customer experience, allowing consumers to purchase exactly what they want, without having to compromise.

2. Any business that operates in a physical-digital environment (phygital) can experience great results in customized commerce, especially if your business can produce products quickly.

3. The phygital product space can provide authentic, real-world connections in today’s digital world.

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On this special episode of Next Level Supply Chain, GS1 US CEO Bob Carpenter speaks with Frank Yiannas, Former Deputy Commissioner, Food Policy & Response at the FDA. While at the FDA, Frank was one of the architects for the Food Safety Modernization Act using his massive experience at Walmart and Disney, where he spent a combined 29 years in charge of food health & safety.

Bob and Frank discuss the importance of a smarter and more sustainable food system with the help of digitalization. Frank shares insights on the Food Traceability rule and how it was developed by the FDA. We also tackle the benefits of traceability, such as preventing illnesses and improving transparency in the food system. We talk about how data standards and emerging technologies can address challenges facing the food industry and how collaboration is key to implementing the new rule. Tune in to discover how compliance oversight is moving towards a 21st-century paradigm and how data sharing can create crucial public-private collaborations.

Key takeaways:

1. The food system needs collaboration between public and private sectors to implement traceability and prevent major outbreaks.

2. Emerging technologies like RFID and IoT pixels offer new ways to track and monitor food assets and increase predictive capabilities for identifying volatile seafood shipments.

3. The shift towards real-time monitoring and dynamic risk prioritization is already emerging, and the private sector should lead the way in reinventing how they do compliance oversight and share their practices with regulators around the world.

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