Lee Scheumann 

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…

Supply Chain Now Founder and CEO Scott Luton announced that its “Veteran Voices” podcast will re-launch this year in partnership with two non-profit organizations: The Guam Human Rights Initiative and the Military Women’s Collective. “We’re proud to promote the efforts of these two organizations, as we are all highly aligned in our dedicated mission to serve our veteran community. Both organizations are veteran-led, start-up nonprofits that are doing big things out in the market. They are the perfect partners for ‘Veteran Voices,’” said Luton. As noted on its website, the Guam Human Rights Initiative “is a collaborative research nonprofit seeking to advance human rights on Guam and throughout the Pacific through meaningful and impactful research efforts.” Since its founding in 2021, the Military Women’s Collective is determined “to make an impact in the military nonprofit space by focusing on our women veteran population.” Its mission focuses on empowering homeless and food-insecure women veterans as well as providing coaching, mentorship and support for women veterans who are transitioning out of the military. Mary Kate Soliva, host of “Veteran Voices,” said that she has a special place in her heart for both organizations and the good works they do. She is excited…