• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Clear Spider Logo

Clear Spider

Powerful Inventory Management Made Simple

  • Product
    • Solutions
      • Vendor Managed Inventory
      • Warehouse Management System (WMS)
      • Inventory Management and Control
      • Order and Shipping Management
      • Field Service Inventory Management
      • Mobile Solutions
      • Vaccine Management System
      • SNAP2: Touchless Tech
      • COVID Solution
      • Clear Spider Kiosk
    • Features
      • Barcode Scanning
      • Fulfillment and Replenishment
      • Lot Control and Shelf Life
      • Kitting and Light Manufacturing
      • Serialized Inventory
      • Return Material Authorization
      • Invoice and Billing
      • Reports and Analytics
      • Consignment Inventory
      • Automated Industrial Vending
    • Benefits
      • Cloud-Based Inventory Management
      • Customizable Software
      • Intuitive Design
      • Safe and Secure
      • Quick Implementation
      • High ROI
    • Our Technology
  • Integrations
    • Accounting
    • Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
    • Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
    • Point of Sale (POS)
    • E-Commerce
    • Shipping
    • Seamless Integration
  • Industries
    • Industrial and Manufacturing
    • Aerospace and Automotive
    • Government, Education, and Healthcare
    • Research, Energy, and Environment
    • Transportation, Warehousing, and Logistics
    • Technology and Telecommunications
    • Print and Publishing
    • Retail, Entertainment, and Food Services
    • Construction, Maintenance, and HVAC
    • Finance and Banking
    • All Industries
  • Pricing
  • Resources
    • COVID-19 Resources
    • ROI Calculator
    • Case Studies
    • Whitepapers
    • Blog
    • Infographics
    • Glossary
    • FAQ

Supply Chain

Single-Use Plastics: Transitioning the Supply Chain

September 13, 2018


What are Single-Use Plastics?

Single-use plastics are used only once before they are thrown out or recycled. In recent years, cities from all over the world have began imposing restrictions on them. It started out with plastic grocery bags. And now, the campaign for reducing plastic waste has led to the ban of other single-use plastics like straws, coffee stirrers, and utensils.

To comply, companies like Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Disney have unveiled plans to phase out their non-recyclable plastics. They are turning to options like compostable lids and bamboo or paper straws. Although many companies have said they will remove single-use plastics from their stores within a few years, many have not specified their intended alternatives yet.

However, there are currently various solutions being developed in the market. From fully biodegradable plastic straws, to bioplastic solutions that you can eat, businesses have a number of environmentally friendly options available to incorporate into their supply chain.

So what does this mean for supply chain management? Have these companies analyzed the costs associated with making drastic supply changes? What are the implications of sustainable manufacturing? How can these companies equip themselves to face fall-outs?

Whether you are a large corporation or a small business, here are a few crucial points to consider before transforming any portion of your production chain.

1. Analyze Your Data – Be Aware

Utilizing advanced supply chain software, you can get an overview of your entire supply chain. See data from broad view production practices, down to the granular details of all the moving parts.

If reducing the amount of plastic in your supply chain is the goal, then being able to identify product packaging attributes would be helpful. Note the current costs of production so you can project an estimated cost difference with your proposed procurement changes.

Over 42% of all plastic produced in the world goes into the plastic packaging of goods. Thus, investing in sustainable packaging solutions has the potential to make a huge impact in plastic waste reduction. 

2. Make Informed Decisions Quickly – Evaluate and Visualize the Change

Conduct research into alternative packaging methods and implement the changes efficiently.

As industries continue to embrace green solutions, there are an increasing amount of alternatives entering the market. Paper and pulp packaging or thinner recyclable plastic are just some of the options available.

Working hand in hand with data analytics, businesses need to make decisions quickly if they want to minimize costs and maximize profits.

Want to reduce plastic usage? Set up target stages so you can track milestones. You can aim to reduce plastic usage by 5% by the end of 2020. 

Having real-time inventory automation allows you take action faster. When introducing changes to your supply chain, take advantage of the technologies available so that production can carry on smoothly.

3. Mitigate the Risks – Be Flexible

From the above points, you should be able to account for changes in supply and demand, minimize fluctuations in costs and revenues, and be prepared to face unavoidable setbacks.

While you should integrate technology into the logistics of your supply chain, it is equally important to ensure your supply chain is agile and adaptive to changing situations. For instance, dual sourcing your supplies can prevent stock-outs. Establishing a network of warehouses and fulfillment sites can help to mitigate other setbacks that arise.

Visibility is key to a flexible supply chain. With current cloud-based software fully equipped with tracking and tracing, billing and analytics, and warehouse management, overall efficiency is improved and the supply chain can afford to handle changes and improvements.

To Conclude:

Whether you are a large corporation or a small enterprise, making sustainable changes can benefit the environment and your business. Maybe it’s phasing out single-use plastics like these companies.

Despite the upfront costs, your brand value improves and you can significantly decrease expenses in the long-run.

With the appropriate warehousing solutions in place that allow for effective forecasting and inventory management, more and more businesses are able to ensure smooth operations while transitioning to a sustainable supply chain.


Footer

Schedule a Demo

Ready to learn more about what Clear Spider can do for you?

Dashed curved arrow

Company

  • About Us
  • Awards and Achievements
  • Careers

Contact Us

  • 1 855-902-5327
  • 905-366-0222
  • info@clearspider.net
  • Contact Form
  • 5749 Coopers Ave
    Mississauga, ON L4Z 1R9

Clear Spider Logo

© 2023 · Clear Spider

Sitemap  |  Privacy Policy  |  Terms and Conditions

Bring us your most
complex inventory
problems.

We’ll solve them for you.

Learn more about how Clear Spider can work for you. Fill in the form to receive a quote.

Warehouse Management System - Quote

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By completing this form, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and acknowledged our Privacy Policy. Clear Spider may use this information to provide you with relevant content about our products and services, from which you can opt-out at any time.

Bring us your most
complex inventory
problems.

We’ll solve them for you.

Learn more about how Clear Spider can work for you. Fill in the form to activate our demo at no obligation.

Warehouse Management System

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By completing this form, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and acknowledged our Privacy Policy. Clear Spider may use this information to provide you with relevant content about our products and services, from which you can opt-out at any time.

Bring us your most
complex inventory
problems.

We’ll solve them for you.

Learn more about how Clear Spider can work for you. Fill in the form to activate our demo at no obligation.

Vendor Manged Inventory

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By completing this form, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and acknowledged our Privacy Policy. Clear Spider may use this information to provide you with relevant content about our products and services, from which you can opt-out at any time.

How effective is your inventory management?

VMI Assessment

"*" indicates required fields

Step 1 of 7

14%
What are the factors contributing to increasing costs in your supply chain and inventory operations?*
What are the most common issues your customers experience?*
How accurate are you in tracking on-hand quantities of inventory you have in all your stocking locations?*
What are the challenges you face in getting inventory to where it needs to be at exactly the right time?*
Given your current inventory management system, which of the following features will have the greatest impact on meeting your inventory management goals?*
Is VMI right for you? Can you adopt VMI to increase sales for your business?
The results are in - what email address should we send your results to?
Got it! Just need a couple more details and your results are on their way!
Name*
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Bring us your most
complex inventory
problems.

We’ll solve them for you.

Learn more about how Clear Spider can work for you. Fill in the form to activate our demo at no obligation.

Start Demo - Hero

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By completing this form, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and acknowledged our Privacy Policy. Clear Spider may use this information to provide you with relevant content about our products and services, from which you can opt-out at any time.

Bring us your most
complex inventory
problems.

We’ll solve them for you.

Learn more about how Clear Spider can work for you. Fill in the form to activate our demo at no obligation.

Start Demo

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By completing this form, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and acknowledged our Privacy Policy. Clear Spider may use this information to provide you with relevant content about our products and services, from which you can opt-out at any time.

Please fill out the form below to get your custom quote!

Fill out the form below to see Clear Spider’s Vaccine Management System live!

Vaccine Management System

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By completing this form, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and acknowledged our Privacy Policy. Clear Spider may use this information to provide you with relevant content about our products and services, from which you can opt-out at any time.

Fill out the form below to see SNAP2 in action!

Enter your email to watch our webinar on How to Inoculate Your Supply Chain Against COVID-19.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Enter your email to watch our webinar on Technology vs COVID-19.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Fill out the form below to see SNAP2 in action!

See SNAP2 Live!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By completing this form, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and acknowledged our Privacy Policy. Clear Spider may use this information to provide you with relevant content about our products and services, from which you can opt-out at any time.

Access your full ROI report!

The full report includes Estimated Monthly Savings ($) and Time to Break Even (Months).

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Please fill out the form below to get your custom quote!

Pricing

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By completing this form, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and acknowledged our Privacy Policy. Clear Spider may use this information to provide you with relevant content about our products and services, from which you can opt-out at any time.