In an era where artificial intelligence dominates boardroom conversations, global supply chain leaders face a new challenge: separating hype from real, scalable value. As AI becomes an essential part of the enterprise toolkit, organizations are racing to implement it not just for efficiency, but also for empowering teams, making better decisions, and transforming entire value chains. In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott Luton sits down with Anouk Schoenmakers, Managing Partner Consulting Solutions at Bluecrux, and Joy Taylor, Managing Director at alliantConsulting, to explore how organizations can move beyond the AI buzz and create meaningful, people-centered transformation across the value chain. Together, they unpack how supply chain leaders can use AI not as a shiny object, but as an enabler of better, faster, and more confident decision-making. Anouk shares why decision intelligence is now a survival skill for modern businesses, and how companies can build the agility and mindset needed to thrive amid constant disruption. Joy offers her perspective on change management and the human side of digital transformation, explaining why technology alone isn’t enough without trust, transparency, and a people-first culture. From decoupling data and decision flows to scaling AI adoption through trust and clarity, they explore actionable…

In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott Luton and special guest host Claudia Freed, President & CEO of EALGreen, welcome Chuck Johnston, Chief Strategy Officer at ReturnPro, for a deep dive into the “dark side” of supply chain: reverse logistics and returns management. They unpack why returns are a nearly trillion-dollar challenge in the U.S., how BORIS (buy online, return in store) strains store operations, and why many retailers still under-invest: leaders often can’t see the full cost across functions or make the ROI case for what’s treated as a cost center. Chuck shares how the space has evolved from yellow notepads to data-driven decisioning, highlighting intelligent algorithms that route items at the customer’s first return click, fraud mitigation with imaging and behavior signals, and how third-party innovation is compressing software build times. Claudia adds a nonprofit and circularity lens: donation channels, extended tax credits, and AI pilots (computer vision + MCP agents) that identify item condition and slotting in real time. Together, they explore where to start, why cross-functional “ambassadors” matter, and how partnerships across retailers, manufacturers, nonprofits, and 3PLs can turn returns from margin erosion into measurable value and social impact.   This episode is hosted by…