My MIT sustainability project showed me how the health of the environment and the performance of a business can be successfully intertwined. Going forward, I will develop strategy with sustainability knowledge and a systems perspective.
I came to MIT interested in sustainability but did not necessarily think that focusing on this topic would change my trajectory. As I wrap up my experience at MIT, I can say that it has. Sustainability today has become more about incremental change but we are now at an inflection point facing many systemic challenges. My mission to increase the adoption of systematic, sustainable practices in the fashion industry and make the apparel supply chain more equitable. After MIT, I am pursuing these goals by launching an apparel supply chain-related start-up and becoming a certified B Corp.
Being a part of the Sustainable Supply Chain lab has been one of the most influential experiences of my undergraduate career by opening my eyes to the many ways that consumers and business leaders can drive the adoption of sustainability measures and ensure accountability from within large organizations. It has also shown me the value of studying Economics and Philosophy, as they have allowed me to thoroughly examine how supply chain practices have rippling impacts across both industry and society.
Coming from the mining industry, social, environmental, and economic sustainability were always embedded in my daily work. At MIT, I had the chance to deep-dive into sustainable supply chains and develop a clear view of opportunities to improve sustainable practices. Today, I’m committed to sharing what I’ve learned to mentor supply chain professionals and empower companies to embrace sustainability. After MIT, I hope to create a positive impact on the world by developing inclusive, transparent, and resilient supply chains.
For my masters’ capstone, I worked with Alexis Bateman and Suzanne Greene to study the feasibility of a carbon offset program to decarbonize freight transportation, using fleet renewals. It was an awesome opportunity – we were voted the top project from MIT at the 2020 MIT Global SCALE Network Supply Chain Research Expo, and have been able to speak to high profile companies that are interested in this offset initiative. I’m graduating this spring, but looking forward to staying in touch with the Sustainable Supply Chains team.
I believe our impact in the world shouldn’t be limited only to our lifetimes, we have responsibilities towards future generations too. We need to leave a cleaner and healthier world for them; this led me to work on a sustainability project for my Capstone. We can only promise a better world for the generations to come once we measure our impacts and put our efforts to mitigate that.
We are drowning in plastic waste in the current situation, with piling landfills and plastic patches developing in oceans. I wanted to look into possibilities where we can facilitate a take-back using existing reverse logistics channels to increase recycling and reduce overall plastic production. I was able to successfully find a model to do so profitably.
Researching supply chain sustainability has really opened my eyes to the importance of supply chains in creating environmentally and socially responsible businesses