This is part of a five-part series produced in partnership between Pixera Global, the Circular Supply Chain Coalition, and Supply Chain Revolution Platforms that helps people understand how to build the circular economy moving from coalition community let's dive in it's so great to see you all again and host you finally on the podcast but let's kick off with a little bit about yourself and your origin story anita over to you

thank you sherry i am anita schwartz i am co-founder of the circular supply chain coalition i came from waste management inc where i worked there for over a decade in zero waste and circular economy, and then went over to WSP under the Division of Sustainability, Energy, and Climate Change, where I led their circular economy and zero waste team there.

I've worked with the private sector, I've worked in public sector, and have had...

A little bit of experience in terms of building out reverse

supply chains.

And I'm

very excited to be here and

What changes when the coalition moves from convening organizations into active matchmaking for reverse supply chain operators and industrial buyers?

Um, what did operators need that the market wasn't necessarily providing?

I think the, the- Big piece that changed, you know, is sort of this understanding that supply chains are not always resilient, and especially in a context of, you know, from, from a global supply chain perspective.

We saw that in COVID, um, we're seeing that again today.

And so that supply chain is now becoming a geopolitical strategy.

It's really imperative for companies to understand where they have capabilities to be able to secure particular materials, but also really looking internally at their own waste as a potential resource.

And I think that that paradigm shift has happened, um, and companies, especially leading companies, are really starting to look at where they can be able to harvest from their own waste streams.

And I think that part of the reason that you're seeing the shift, you know, previously into today are some of those constraints.

Mm-hmm.