Javier Díaz de León

Retail margins rarely disappear all at once, they leak out quietly across transportation, inventory, and returns. As ecommerce grows and return rates rise, retailers are facing higher logistics costs, volatile freight spend, and inventory positioned in the wrong places at the wrong time. Many organizations still operate without true end-to-end visibility, making it difficult to control cost or respond proactively to disruption. This playbook shows how leading retailers are addressing total cost of ownership (TCO) as a strategic priority, not just an operational metric. Instead of massive transformation programs, it outlines practical actions that can uncover measurable savings in as little as 90 days through better purchase order control, improved visibility, and smarter network design. Why download this white paper: Identify where margin is leaking across transportation, inventory, and returns Understand the three most effective levers for reducing supply chain cost Learn how to reduce premium freight, improve utilization, and avoid markdowns See how real-time visibility improves planning and service levels Get a step-by-step 90-day pilot roadmap to validate savings Build a finance-ready business case for scalable TCO improvement By the end, you’ll have a clear framework to evaluate your current operations, prioritize improvements, and turn hidden supply chain inefficiencies…

written by Deborah Dull, on site at GreenBiz 2026   One of the most repeated excuses in the circular economy space is that American consumers just do not care enough. They will not sort their waste. They will not pay a premium for sustainable products. They will not participate in take-back programs. Europe is different, the story goes. Americans are a lost cause. Today I sat through a panel where that story got taken apart, piece by piece, with actual data. On this panel were Tom Szaky the CEO at TerraCycle and Loop, Gary Lewis the CEO at Resourcify, Rob Whitter the Head of Climate and Sustainability at Visa, and Casper Venbjerg Hansen the Senior Director of Sustainability Risk & Compliance for Ambu A/S; all facilitated by Lauren Phipps of MOLG. A company that runs in-store recycling programs across more than a million locations in 20 countries looked at their numbers. Whether someone was bringing back a wetsuit in Japan, cosmetics in France, or gear in the United States, the behavior was statistically identical. You could not tell the countries apart. American consumers who chose to participate were participating at the exact same rate as everyone else. Then there was…