Closing the loop in Italy

It turns out ECUCOB students were not the only College representatives in Italy this summer.

Dr. Jon Kirchoff, COB supply chain associate professor, visited Verona, Italy to work with colleagues on a closed-loop supply chain research project. In particular, they looked at trying to identify a solution for the needs of industries located in Northern Italy. They looked at how one can find value in the waste generated from a supply chain environment and how it can be put back into the supply chain.

As Dr. Kirchoff says in this video (2:07), “there are great opportunities for businesses and global economies using a circular economy business model strategy.”

However, there are some challenges. It’s these challenges that are being looked at in this research, as well as how Blockchain can be used to solve the challenges of transparency and visibility in the closed-loop supply chain.