The State of Sustainable Apparel: What North America Needs to Know with Christine Goulay | Innovation Forum Partnership

From Silos to Systems Thinking: How Inchainge Is Rewiring Supply Chain Skills for the Age of AI and Circularity with Rada Lazarova

Simulation is the missing layer in supply chain talent development. That is the thesis of this episode of the Supply Chain Revolution podcast, where Sheri Hinish sits down with Rada Lazarova from Inchainge, the company behind The Fresh Connection and The Blue Connection, the world's leading supply chain business simulations used by over 40% of the world's top 100 manufacturers and nearly half a million learners across more than 100 countries.  Rada, based in Utrecht in the Netherlands, brings a perspective shaped by her own journey from Bulgaria to Wisconsin to the Dutch experiential learning ecosystem. She explains why traditional supply chain education falls short: it teaches theory without context, creating professionals who understand frameworks but freeze when confronted with the cross-functional complexity of real supply chain decisions. Inchainge's simulations drop participants, whether university students or Fortune 500 executives, into virtual companies where they take on VP-level roles and discover, often painfully, that optimizing their own function can bankrupt the entire business.  Together, they explore why silos are the root cause of supply chain underperformance, how the human behaviors of students and C-suite executives are remarkably similar when placed in simulation environments, why sustainability thinking only takes hold when every decision is linked to impact metrics, and how Inchainge's new AI tutor responds like a teacher (with more questions, not answers) rather than a chatbot. Rada closes with a challenge to every supply chain leader: stop saving the day, start solving the problem.  Chapter Markers:  0:00 Introduction: simulation as the missing layer in supply chain talent  0:24 Meet Rada Lazarova: from Bulgaria to Wisconsin to Inchainge  1:29 Why traditional supply chain education falls short  2:21 Inside the simulation: VP-level roles, cross-functional decisions, and sandbox failure  3:58 The power of going bankrupt with no consequences  4:33 Context engineering in the age of AI and automation  5:08 Silos as root cause: how one client restructured their KPI system after training  5:57 40% of the world's top 100 manufacturers: students vs. executives in the simulation  8:06 Recovery in a simulation vs. recovery in the real world  8:26 New AI and circularity capabilities on the Inchainge platform  9:12 The sustainability hands-up moment: before and after the simulation  11:00 Circular metrics: return on material, circularity of inputs, alternative revenue models  11:52 The AI tutor: why it asks questions instead of giving answers  13:35 Rapid fire: the biggest misconception about supply chain talent today  14:18 What every supply chain leader should unlearn  15:29 Rotate, explore, get your hands dirty: career advice  15:39 What excites Rada most about the next five years of supply chain education  Key Topics:   Supply chain talent development, simulation-based learning, experiential learning, Inchainge, The Fresh Connection, The Blue Connection, supply chain skills gap, cross-functional KPIs, silo breaking, supply chain education, AI in education, circularity simulation, supply chain sustainability training, core skills, context engineering, supply chain gamification, workforce development  Connect and Learn More:  Rada Lazarova: linkedin.com/in/radalazarova [linkedin.com/in/radalazarova]  Inchainge: inchainge.com  [inchainge.com%C2%A0] The Fresh Connection (supply chain simulation): inchainge.com/learning-solutions  [inchainge.com/learning-solutions%C2%A0] The Blue Connection (circular economy simulation): inchainge.com/learning-solutions  Sheri Hinish (Supply Chain Queen): supplychainqueen.com [supplychainqueen.com]

The State of Sustainable Apparel: What North America Needs to Know with Christine Goulay | Innovation Forum Partnership

In this episode of the Supply Chain Revolution podcast, produced in partnership with the Innovation Forum, Sheri Hinish sits down with Christine Goulay, founder of Sustainabelle Advisory Services in Paris. Christine brings 20 years of experience at the intersection of sustainability and fashion, including operational roles at Pangaea and the Kering Group (the luxury conglomerate behind Gucci and Balenciaga), advisory work with UNEP and the Textile Exchange, and board positions with traceability and materials startups including Fairly Made. Together, they unpack the honest state of sustainable apparel in 2026. Christine identifies three distinct tiers of brand behavior: the core leaders who are integrating sustainability as a risk reduction and customer engagement strategy, the compliance hedgers who are calculating whether to invest now or pay fines later, and the silent majority waiting to see which way the regulatory wind blows. She explains why regulation was the decisive differentiator in scaling reuse in France, why the same dynamic is now playing out with the California Textile Recovery Act and Digital Product Passport requirements in the EU, and why simply checking the compliance box builds adequate supply chains, not extraordinary ones. Christine introduces a powerful framework: the love language of sustainability. Borrowed from Gary Chapman's 1992 book, the concept is that sustainability leaders must speak the language of their audience, replacing terms like ESG with resilience when talking to procurement, framing impact as risk reduction for CFOs, and embedding sustainability KPIs alongside financial metrics so sourcing teams can make balanced decisions without career risk. She shares how France's EPR eco-modulation bonus returns 70 cents per garment for certified materials versus a five-to-seven cent average EPR cost, and how forward-thinking brands are embedding CO2 emissions data directly into RFPs. Connect with our guest: Christine Goulay, Founder, Sustainabelle Advisory Services LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinegoulay/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinegoulay/] Our partner for this episode: Innovation Forum Website: https://innovationforum.co.uk/conferences/sustainable-apparel-and-textiles-conference-usa/ [https://innovationforum.co.uk/conferences/sustainable-apparel-and-textiles-conference-usa/] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovation-forum-uk/posts/?feedView=all [https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovation-forum-uk/posts/?feedView=all] Join us at the Sustainable Apparel and Textiles Conference USA New York City | June 3–4, 2026 | 230+ leaders | Chatham House Rules Register: https://innovationforum.co.uk/conferences/sustainable-apparel-and-textiles-conference-usa/ [https://innovationforum.co.uk/conferences/sustainable-apparel-and-textiles-conference-usa/] Connect with Sheri Hinish (Supply Chain Queen®): Website: https://www.supplychainqueen.com/ [https://www.supplychainqueen.com/] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherihinish/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherihinish/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SupplyChainQueen [https://www.youtube.com/@SupplyChainQueen] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/supplychainqueen/ [https://www.instagram.com/supplychainqueen/] Listen to Supply Chain Revolution on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/supply-chain-revolution/id1496639064 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/supply-chain-revolution/id1496639064] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2yfqyaA8FtAcwjUDi2nrhe [https://open.spotify.com/show/2yfqyaA8FtAcwjUDi2nrhe] Key Topics: sustainable apparel 2026, textile regulation, EPR Extended Producer Responsibility, California Textile Recovery Act, Digital Product Passport DPP, circularity textiles, traceability, supply chain transparency, Kering Group, Sustainabelle, Innovation Forum, Sustainable Apparel and Textiles Conference USA, fashion supply chain, supplier de-risking, impact KPIs, love language of sustainability, Fairly Made, eco-modulation, total cost of ownership, procurement sustainability

Energy Is Not a Line Item; It is an Operating System: Rethinking Supply Chains on Earth Day with Wes Herche, co-founder of Sustainability Decoded

In this special Earth Day episode of the Supply Chain Revolution podcast, Sheri Hinish sits down with Wesley Herche, Director of Energy and Sustainability Solutions at Prologis and co-founder of the Sustainability Decoded newsletter. Wesley brings one of the most unconventional career paths in the sustainability world, from civilian intelligence officer at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and deployment to Iraq, through BCG and Amazon, to his current role at the world's largest logistics real estate company. Wesley's thesis is as provocative as it is precise: there is no difference between GDP and energy. Every supply chain decision that appears to be about cost, resilience, or emissions is fundamentally an energy decision. He argues that organizations must stop treating energy like a procurement line item and start treating it as the operating system on which their entire supply chain runs. Together, they unpack why the discovery of fossil fuels created the sharpest inflection point in human development history, how Pakistan added 25 gigawatts of rooftop solar (most of it through DIY TikTok tutorials) to build energy resilience now larger than all other generation combined, and why the Strait of Hormuz crisis is revealing what has always been true: energy logistics are the invisible substrate of the global economy. Wesley breaks down the three energy services every business actually consumes (heat, propulsion, and electricity), how to evaluate alternative generation architectures across onsite solar, battery storage, green tariffs, and offsite renewables, and why treating emissions like product specs transforms procurement from a cost function into a strategic weapon. They close with the announcement of Sustainability Decoded as a new Supply Chain Revolution community partner. Follow Wes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/herche] and Sustainability Decoded [https://www.sustainabilitydecoded.com] Key Topics: Earth Day 2026, energy supply chains, energy as operating system, renewable energy strategy, Prologis, Sustainability Decoded, Strait of Hormuz, electrotech, Scope 1 2 3 emissions, supplier decarbonization, onsite solar, battery storage, energy resilience, Pakistan solar revolution, GDP and energy, supply chain sustainability, green tariffs, climate strategy

The Strait of Hormuz Playbook: Navigating the Biggest Supply Chain Crisis Since COVID with Sam Achampong, CIPS

The Strait of Hormuz crisis has become the largest disruption to global energy supply since the 1970s oil embargo, with ship transits collapsing by over 95% and an estimated 230 loaded oil tankers stranded inside the Persian Gulf. Fertilizer exports through the strait have plummeted by more than 90%, threatening global food production heading into planting season. So what does the recovery playbook actually look like for supply chain and procurement leaders whose operations run through the Gulf? In this episode, Sheri Hinish [https://www.linkedin.com/in/supplychainqueen/] sits down with Sam Achampong [https://www.linkedin.com/in/samachampong/], Regional Director for CIPS [https://www.linkedin.com/school/cips/] across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific, live from Dubai in the middle of the crisis. Sam brings over 18 years of experience operating in the Gulf region and offers an unvarnished, on-the-ground perspective that transcends the headlines. Together, they unpack how business continuity plans are holding up (and where they are falling short), why organizations are renegotiating payment terms with strategic suppliers to fund local sourcing pivots, and how the cash-flow circularity strategy is helping companies stabilize operations in real time. Sam shares hard-earned lessons on supplier relationship management, the critical difference between transactional and strategic partnerships, and why the best procurement leaders never become famous. They also explore the talent gap, the underinvestment in people skills relative to technical capabilities, and why context engineering is the true differentiator for AI-enabled supply chain decision-making. Sam closes with a powerful historical parallel: CIPS itself was founded in response to the Smoot-Hawley tariffs of the 1930s, proving that procurement professionals have been navigating geopolitical disruption for nearly a century. Key Topics: Strait of Hormuz crisis, Middle East supply chain disruption, procurement recovery playbook, business continuity planning, supplier relationship management, strategic sourcing, energy supply chain, petrochemical trade disruption, fertilizer supply crisis, AI in supply chain risk, talent development, CIPS, geopolitical risk management

How This CEO Built a $100M Business From Garbage and Redesigned the Circular Supply Chain | TerraCycle CEO Tom Szaky

What if the $2.6 trillion in materials the world throws away every year is not a waste problem, but a supply chain design problem? What if there was a way to capture that value and build a 9 figure empire? In the Season 3 premiere, Sheri Hinish sits down with Tom Szaky, the founder and CEO of TerraCycle [TerraCycle.com], a company operating in 20 countries that has recycled over 8 billion items the traditional waste system refused to touch. Tom dropped out of Princeton to build a business around garbage. Twenty-five years later, TerraCycle generates nearly $100 million in annual revenue and just announced a Reg A $75 million investment offering to scale its operations further.  In this episode, Tom breaks down why 95% of products have no viable recycling pathway (and why it has nothing to do with technology), why everything is getting less recyclable over time as products get cheaper, how Loop cracked the code on reusable packaging in France while it stalled in the US, and why waste is the least innovative industry in the world, making it the biggest blue ocean for entrepreneurs.  Sheri and Tom share insights on frameworks for circular supply chain design, extended producer responsibility, and the role of supply chain leaders as planetary systems architects. Whether you lead procurement, operations, logistics, or sustainability, this episode reframes waste as a competitive strategy conversation, not an environmental afterthought.  Connect with Tom Szaky and TerraCycle: Terracycle.com [TerraCycle.com] + Tom on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomszaky/] + Learn more invest.terracycle.com [http://invest.terracycle.com/] Topics covered: circular economy, circular supply chain, waste economics, waste management, recycling, reuse, Loop, extended producer responsibility (EPR), packaging, zero waste, supply chain innovation, TerraCycle, regenerative supply chains.