David Maloney has been a journalist for more than 35 years and is currently the group editorial director for DC Velocity and Supply Chain Quarterly magazines. In this role, he is responsible for the editorial content of both brands of Agile Business Media. Dave joined DC Velocity in April of 2004. Prior to that, he was a senior editor for Modern Materials Handling magazine. Dave also has extensive experience as a broadcast journalist. Before writing for supply chain publications, he was a journalist, television producer and director in Pittsburgh. Dave combines a background of reporting on logistics with his video production experience to bring new opportunities to DC Velocity readers, including web videos highlighting top distribution and logistics facilities, webcasts and other cross-media projects. He continues to live and work in the Pittsburgh area.
Regular online readers of DC Velocity and Supply Chain Xchange have probably noticed something new during the past few weeks. Our team has been working for months to produce shiny new websites that allow you to find the supply chain news and stories you need more easily.
It is always good for a media brand to undergo a refresh every once in a while. We certainly are not alone in retooling our websites; most of you likely go through that rather complex process every few years. But this was more than just your average refresh. We did it to take advantage of the most recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI).
Most of the AI work will take place behind the scenes. We will not, for instance, use AI to generate our stories. Those will still be written by our award-winning editorial team (I realize I’m biased, but I believe them to be the best in the business). Instead, we will be applying AI to things like graphics, search functions, and prioritizing relevant stories to make it easier for you to find the information you need along with related content.
We have also redesigned the websites’ layouts to make it quick and easy to find articles on specific topics. For example, content on DC Velocity’s new site is divided into five categories: material handling, robotics, transportation, technology, and supply chain services. We also offer a robust video section, including case histories, webcasts, and executive interviews, plus our weekly podcasts.
Over on the Supply Chain Xchange site, we have organized articles into categories that align with the traditional five phases of supply chain management: plan, procure, produce, move, and store. Plus, we added a “tech” category just to round it off. You can also find links to our videos, newsletters, podcasts, webcasts, blogs, and much more on the site.
Our mobile-app users will also notice some enhancements. An increasing number of you are receiving your daily supply chain news on your phones and tablets, so we have revamped our sites for optimal performance on those devices. For instance, you’ll find that related stories will appear right after the article you’re reading in case you want to delve further into the topic.
However you view us, you will find snappier headlines, more graphics and illustrations, and sites that are easier to navigate.
I would personally like to thank our management, IT department, and editors for their work in making this transition a reality. In our more than 20 years as a media company, this is our largest expansion into digital yet.
That percentage is even greater than the 13.21% of total retail sales that were returned. Measured in dollars, returns (including both legitimate and fraudulent) last year reached $685 billion out of the $5.19 trillion in total retail sales.
“It’s clear why retailers want to limit bad actors that exhibit fraudulent and abusive returns behavior, but the reality is that they are finding stricter returns policies are not reducing the returns fraud they face,” Michael Osborne, CEO of Appriss Retail, said in a release.
Specifically, the report lists the leading types of returns fraud and abuse reported by retailers in 2024, including findings that:
60% of retailers surveyed reported incidents of “wardrobing,” or the act of consumers buying an item, using the merchandise, and then returning it.
55% cited cases of returning an item obtained through fraudulent or stolen tender, such as stolen credit cards, counterfeit bills, gift cards obtained through fraudulent means or fraudulent checks.
48% of retailers faced occurrences of returning stolen merchandise.
Together, those statistics show that the problem remains prevalent despite growing efforts by retailers to curb retail returns fraud through stricter returns policies, while still offering a sufficiently open returns policy to keep customers loyal, they said.
“Returns are a significant cost for retailers, and the rise of online shopping could increase this trend,” Kevin Mahoney, managing director, retail, Deloitte Consulting LLP, said. “As retailers implement policies to address this issue, they should avoid negatively affecting customer loyalty and retention. Effective policies should reduce losses for the retailer while minimally impacting the customer experience. This approach can be crucial for long-term success.”
Waves of change are expected to wash over workplaces in the new year, highlighted by companies’ needs to balance the influx of artificial intelligence (AI) with the skills, capabilities, and perspectives that are uniquely human, according to a study from Top Employers Institute.
According to the Amsterdam-based human resources (HR) consulting firm, 2025 will be the year that the balance between individual and group well-being will evolve, blending personal empowerment with collective goals. The focus will be on creating environments where individual contributions enhance the overall strength of teams and organizations, and where traditional boundaries are softened to allow for greater collaboration and inclusion.
Those were the findings of the group’s report titled "World of work trends 2025: The collective workforce.” The study was based on data drawn from the anonymized responses of 2,175 global participants of the Top Employers Institute’s HR Best Practices Survey for 2025, and 2,200 organizations from its 2024 edition.
To cope with those broad trends, the report found that companies must adopt “systems thinking,” a way of understanding how different parts of a system—whether an organization or a society—are connected and influence each other. Leaders who learn that skill can design holistic strategies that align employee needs with organizational priorities and broader societal challenges, the group said.
Toward that goal, the report highlights five trends that are reshaping and impacting the global workforce for 2025. They include:
Sustainable Workplaces - integrated partnership between society and organizations. In 2025, organizations will face growing pressure to address global challenges ranging from ethical AI use in the workplace to demographic changes like declining birth rates and an aging population. These issues are no longer isolated from business; they demand an integrated partnership between society and organizations. For example, labor shortages driven by demographic changes challenge companies to rethink their workforce strategies for future sustainability; for example, family-friendly offerings have increased substantially over the last year as employers acknowledge the reality that many more people are now responsible for aging relatives as well as young children.
New belonging – networking beyond to connect with various jobs, industries, and networks. Unlike previous generations, today’s employees change jobs and careers with greater fluidity, spanning multiple organizations over relatively short periods. This shift is reshaping the traditional, company-centered sense of belonging into a more dynamic, interconnected experience. Employees no longer expect to build lasting relationships solely within a single organization, but rather they form communities that stretch across various jobs, industries, and networks, sometimes even in public coworking spaces where the people they interact with daily may not even work for the same company. However, this fluidity offers companies a unique advantage: as employees move between organizations and interact with diverse professionals in shared spaces, they bring with them fresh ideas, innovations, and relationships that generate significant value.
Transforming experiences – “new collar” jobs. In 2025, we will see a substantial blurring of the traditional categories of “white collar” jobs—typically clerical, administrative, managerial, and executive roles—and “blue collar” jobs, which are typically found in the agriculture, manufacturing, construction, mining, or maintenance sectors. The nature of jobs once considered blue-collar has changed dramatically, thanks in no small part to advancements in technology, especially AI. Post pandemic, there seems to be a much higher demand in many places around the world for skilled trades and manual labor, coupled with a growing emphasis for needed skills over formal qualifications. This shift, sometimes described as the rise of “new collar” jobs, combines the technical expertise often associated with blue-collar work with the adaptability and digital skills needed in today’s job market.
Neuroinclusion - a competitive advantage. Organizations are also increasingly recognizing the advantages of including neurodivergent individuals in the workplace, hiring people with autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, and ADHD, as well as certain mental health conditions. In addition to bringing bringing unique perspectives and capabilities, these employees are also an important part of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). This practice often requires companies to provide accommodation, adjustments, and support, but 2025 will bring a more radical shift, as neuroinclusivity is evolving from an afterthought to a foundational principle in workplace design, culture, and HR policies.
AI-powered leadership - balance between human intuition and AI’s analytical power.
If 2024 marked AI’s disruption of highly skilled roles like software development and healthcare, 2025 will be the year AI reshapes the highest levels of leadership, bringing a new balance between human intuition and AI’s analytical power. In this evolving landscape, leadership is no longer an individual pursuit, but a collective effort changed by intelligent systems. AI is not just influencing mid-level roles; it is becoming a partner in the C-suite, helping leaders navigate complexity, understand team dynamics, and make strategic decisions that benefit the entire organization.
The next time you buy a loaf of bread or a pack of paper towels, take a moment to consider the future that awaits the plastic it’s wrapped in. That future isn’t pretty: Given that most conventional plastics take up to 400 years to decompose, in all likelihood, that plastic will spend the next several centuries rotting in a landfill somewhere.
But a Santiago, Chile-based company called Bioelements Group says it has developed a more planet-friendly alternative. The firm, which specializes in biobased, biodegradable, and compostable packaging, says its Bio E-8i film can be broken down by fungi and other microorganisms in just three to 20 months. It adds that the film, which it describes as “durable and attractive,” complies with the regulations of each country in which Bioelements currently operates.
Now it’s looking to enter the U.S. market. The company recently announced that it had entered into partnerships with South Carolina’s Clemson University and with Michigan State University to continue testing its products for use in sustainable packaging in this country. Researchers will study samples of Bio E-8i film to understand how the material behaves during the biodegradation process under simulated industrial composting conditions.
“This research, along with other research being conducted in the United States, allows us to obtain highly reliable data from prestigious universities,” said Ignacio Parada, CEO and founder of Bioelements, in a statement. “Such work is important because it allows us to improve and apply academically driven scientific research to the application of packaging for greater sustainability packaging applications. That is very worthwhile and helps to validate our sustainable packaging technology.”
Grocery shoppers in Australia will soon be able to zip in and out of the store in record time, bypassing the lines for cashiers or self-checkout kiosks altogether. They can just walk in, make their selections, and walk out with their bags in hand.
The secret to this express shopping experience is the “Caper Cart,” an AI (artificial intelligence)-powered smart trolley from San Francisco-based Instacart. In its first deployment in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, the system is being tested by Coles Supermarkets, a food and beverage retailer with more than 1,800 grocery and liquor stores throughout the country.
To get started, customers simply grab a grocery cart-sized smart trolley at the store’s entrance and begin shopping, depositing the items directly into shopping bags as they go. The Caper Carts use onboard AI, cameras, and a built-in scale to automatically recognize items as they’re added to the trolley. Customers can watch their running total display on a screen—just as if they were shopping online—then swipe their credit card on the trolley’s payment terminal to complete the purchase.
“As the first retailer in Australia to introduce AI-powered trolleys, we’re excited to offer our customers a convenient and engaging way to shop in-store, helping them save time, manage their budget, and check out faster—or at their own pace,” Coles’ chief digital officer, Ben Hassing, said in a release. “The Coles smart trolley illustrates our omnichannel approach, leveraging digital capabilities to enrich the in-store experience.”
If you’re looking to make the packaging process more eco-friendly, the obvious place to start is with the box itself. And that’s exactly what Salt Lake City-based Packsize did when it made its initial foray into sustainable packaging back in 2002. That year, the company launched its first product, an innovative on-demand packaging system designed to reduce cardboard waste (and the need for filler material) by creating a right-sized box for each shipment.
Now the company is ready for the next step: greening up the glue.
According to Packsize, 300 billion boxes around the globe are sealed using 500,000 tons of hot-melt adhesive every year, contributing significantly to global emissions generated by the paper-based packaging industry. In a bid to cut those emissions, Packsize recently teamed up with Henkel Adhesive Technologies, a unit of the German chemical and consumer goods company Henkel, to launch Eco-Pax, a bio-based hot-melt adhesive designed to lower carbon footprints without sacrificing performance.
Eco-Pax is made from bio-based raw materials, forgoing traditional fossil-based ingredients. The adhesive will soon be used on more than 340 million boxes produced annually using Packsize’s right-sized packaging machines. That single change is expected to reduce Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi)-relevant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions up to 32%, which is equivalent to the burning of 1.75 million pounds of coal, the partners said.
“Partnering with an innovative leader like Packsize to launch a bio-based adhesive solution is a big step toward building a more sustainable packaging value chain,” Kevin Heffernan, head of business development, North America, consumer goods adhesives, Henkel Adhesives Technologies, said in a release. “Together, we’re setting a new standard for sustainability in packaging while delivering the high-performance brands and consumers trust.”