On the ethics of fast fashion

Last week, I wrote about wedding gowns. Now it’s time to think of the other end of the fashion price spectrum: fast fashion. The Observer had an interesting piece on Swedish fast fashion retailer H&M and what they report in their annual sustainability report (Is H&M the new home of ethical fashion?, Apr 7). The report is [...]

Read Full Post »

Light bulb economics

How much does it cost to change a light bulb? More than you may have guessed if you think of retailers with large parking lots or hotels with high lobby ceilings. In fact, for these firms the cost of changing light bulbs can be so high that it actually changes the calculation on whether it is [...]

Read Full Post »

Ikea as supply-chain innovators

Now you may think of Ikea as just some oak and some pine and a handful of Norsemen selling furniture for college kids and divorced men, but Businessweek reports that they are also logistics innovators (Ikea’s Challenge to the Wooden Shipping Pallet, Nov 23). Specifically, they are looking to replace wood pallets with cardboard ones. Ikea, which [...]

Read Full Post »

Sustainability index hiccups

Some time ago we posted on Wal-Mart’s attempt to lead the creation of a sustainability index. The idea was to provide consumers with clear guidance on the impact of what they bought. Instead of wondering why one product cost a buck more than a different brand, they would have some information on why. Along the [...]

Read Full Post »

Green packaging

It’s been awhile since we have written about how sustainability and operations interact so it is worth pointing to two recent articles. One is from the New York Times and looks at how high oil prices are leading to innovations in how consumer goods are packaged (Devilish Packaging, Tamed, Jun 2). In particular, the article [...]

Read Full Post »

Supply chain partnerships for more efficient recycling

An interesting story from the Wall Street Journal (Tight Supplies, Tight Partners, Jan 9). Apparently it is not as easy to get your hands on good trash as it use to be. That may not sound line a bad thing — unless, of course, your business depends on recycling that trash into usable products. That [...]

Read Full Post »

A closed-loop supply chain for pet beds

Here’s an interesting video on a closed-loop supply chain.

Read Full Post »

Why can’t you recycle a Starbucks cup?

Every year Americans use over 200 billion paper cups. While that number is rather mind-boggling, an equally amazing number is that 3 billion of those cups have a Starbucks’ logo on them. Given that the company has a link to its statement on social responsibility right at the top of its website, you might guess [...]

Read Full Post »

Bagging incentives

So here is another interesting story of consumer behavior and how shifting actions affects operations. Back in January, the District of Columbia imposed a bag tax (Capital Takes Bag Tax In Stride, Sept 20). Want a plastic or paper sack to schlep home your stuff? That will set you back 5 cents a pop. The [...]

Read Full Post »

Globalization and energy efficient bulbs

The Washington Post recently had a pair of articles about the evolving world of light bulbs. Light bulbs might not seem a particularly happening market but there are some interesting developments related to goals to improve the efficiency of common lighting. The first article tells the story of GE closing its Virginia light bulb factory, [...]

Read Full Post »