We can redefine business to be about more than just profit. I am a big believer in the triple-bottom-line, and it makes long-term economic sense. We discuss this in the classroom, and I hope our work can help students be change agents in the business world.
Using our power as consumers is one of the easiest ways we can create a world that reflects our values, and we can do it every single day. Every dollar spent supporting a business going above and beyond to do the right thing is a seed planted for a better world.
A reverse supply chain for reusable goods is a viable solution to keep goods out of the landfill, but what does resolving the First Mile Problem look like in practice? Working with graduate students from Portland State University’s School of Business, we set out to explore its feasibility, by studying the real-world context of existing collection systems for trash and recycling in a specific Portland, Oregon neighborhood.
Solving the First Mile Problem, or how to get reusable goods into the market and out of the landfill, isn’t a faraway goal — it’s achievable and cost-effective today using a geography-based reverse supply chain. To test this idea, I worked with a group of graduate supply chain management students at Portland State University’s School of Business to prove out the operational feasibility study.
Portland State University Graduate Business Blog 