Dave Stehlin

Inside the reverse logistics education gap and the economic blind spot keeping it invisible Special Guest Blog Post written by Deborah Dull   Tony Sciarrotta has been asking the same question at industry conferences for years. As the Senior Director of Circularity and Reverse Logistics at the National Retail Federation, he knows what answer he’s going to get. But he keeps asking anyway. “Anybody in here go to school for returns management, reverse logistics, circularity? Any degrees in those fields the room?” It’s rare that anyone raises their hand. “That’s what’s wrong with our industry,” Sciarrotta told me at NRF Rev this January, the first conference under NRF’s new reverse logistics banner. “We still need to fix it.”   The Numbers That Should Make Headlines Here’s what makes reverse logistics so fascinating: the scale is staggering, but the infrastructure to support it needs to be stronger. According to the National Retail Federation, American retailers processed approximately $890 billion in returns in 2024 which is roughly 17% of all retail sales – and it’s higher for ecommerce. But that number almost certainly understates reality. “We have a fragmented industry,” Sciarrotta explained. “Where are all those returns going? It has to be…

It’s been a great week here at Supply Chain Now! Stay in the loop with all our latest conversations right here. We kicked off the week on Monday with 3 new episodes! In this episode, Greg White and Scott Luton welcomed Logan Ensign with Alloy and Katlyn Davis with Valvoline to Supply Chain Now to discuss how sales and supply chain can work together for retail success. On This Week in Business History, host Scott W. Luton interviewed an entertainment industry trailblazer: Ellen Snortland. In this wide-ranging, fascinating discussion, Ellen shares her incredible journey from helping her family survive a horrible, life-changing flood in South Dakota t0 forming the first all-female theater company in Santa Barbara, California – – and beyond! On Supply Chain Now en Espanol, hosts Enrique Alvarez and Demo Pérez welcomed Juan Carlos Croston, president of the Caribbean Shipping Association, to the podcast. On Tuesday, we released 2 new episodes. TEK TOK Digital Supply Chain Podcast released a replay of its latest livestream in which hosts Karin Bursa and Scott Luton welcomed Mallery Dosdall with Red Wing Shoe Co. to learn how S&OP can make an enormous impact on business. On TECHquila Sunrise, host Greg White discusses…