A VC in Vacationland

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The NY Times Magazine featured an interesting article, titled Wasted Data, on how information collected on our buying habits could help us reduce waste.  Although the article was more than a bit disjointed–it was based on a graduate student's thesis–the concept is intriguing. Getting manufacturers to take more responsibility for the eventual recycling of the products and packaging they sell to us is a central tenet of operating a green supply chain.  But few companies take it very seriously.

If we reduce the amount of excess packaging in our supply chains, lower shipping and packaging costs will result. And if we are not proactive in developing recycling options at the front end of supply chains, then we build in more waste. Ultimately, manufacturers are going to have to take more responsibility for recycling. Consumers now have the primary responsibility for getting rid of unwanted packaging and used up products.  But as long as we have cheap oil, apparently no one will care much about dealing with the issue.