Ideas worth acting on.
Practical thinking from the Second Tide team, plus free tools to help you see where you stand.
Latest thinking.
6 articles from the Second Tide team. Each is researched and sourced.
What returns really cost: a worked example
The return label is the cost everyone sees. Handling, refunds, markdowns and write-offs are the costs that quietly take the margin. Here is how to add them up.
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Why "sustainable" is no longer enough
Doing less harm was the old brief. Regulation, customers and cost now reward businesses that put value and materials back, and mid-sized firms are not only well placed to do it but are central to creating a more sustainable world.
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Resell, refurbish or recycle? Choosing the best route
Every returned or surplus item has a best next home. Picking it item by item, on recovery value and handling cost, is where the cash is.
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Take-back schemes that pay for themselves
Most take-back schemes are run as marketing and lose money quietly. Built around recovery value, they can fund themselves. Five practical questions, answered.
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Turning end-of-line stock into cash, not landfill
Surplus stock is working capital in a box. The EU has now banned large companies from destroying unsold clothes and shoes, which makes a recovery plan a requirement as well as good sense.
Read the article →Earlier articles.
Earlier writing from Gopal and the team.
See where you stand.
Answer a few questions about the business. No name or company is needed for your result.
Packaging EPR Fee Estimator
This year's and next year's packaging fees by material and rating, and what red-rated packs will cost as the penalty grows.
Use the toolTrue Cost of Returns
What returns really cost once handling, write-offs, transport and emissions are counted.
Use the toolTake-back Scheme Payback
Whether a take-back or trade-in scheme pays for itself, from volumes, resale value and handling cost.
Use the toolFollow us on LinkedIn.
Occasional insights from Second Tide. New articles, tools and what we are seeing across supply chains go on LinkedIn first.