Letter from the Editor

by Chris Morrow

Reverse Logistics Magazine, May/June 2008

I’ve long been a staunch supporter of recycle – cans, bottles, paper, plastic. And I’m certainly an advocate of reuse – spring at our house brings on a major purge – no closet or cupboard is spared.

My son who is a student at San Jose State University recently moved into an apartment near campus with several friends. Naturally, when he left home, he left behind more than he took. After patiently waiting several months for him to clean up the remnants of his life, now it’s my turn. “Call out the army” – the Salvation Army, that is. Clothing, CDs, videos, bedding -- I’d have a garage sale, but it’s too much work. Just bring a truck and haul it all away.

Here at RLA, we’ve recently had Gifts In Kind International join as a member. GIKI is a non-profit organization in the corporate giving arena whose mission is to link donor resources to people in need. They work with Fortune 100 technology, consumer and retail product corporations as well as many smaller companies to create, implement and manage their product donation programs. Donations to GIKI include a wide variety of technology, education supplies, clothing and shoes, appliances, toys and much more. They pick up these items then quickly move them to the communities and people where the need is greatest. This is an example of how companies can take advantage of materials which no longer have value, other than recycling.

Reverse logistics… it works for us all.