As Earth Day approaches, the urgency for businesses to adopt sustainable practices has never been greater. Supply chain leaders, in particular, are at the forefront of this transformation, facing mounting pressure to align profitability with environmental responsibility. As part of our Expert Insights series, we recently had the privilege to connect with Deborah Dull, Managing Partner at Trillium Digital Services and founder of the Circular Supply Chain Network, to ask her a few questions about her latest book, Sustainable Supply Chain Orchestration.
Co-authored with Douglas Kent, the book serves as a practical guide for supply chain professionals eager to drive meaningful change but unsure of where to start. One of the central themes of the discussion is the “UNLEARN” framework, a structured approach that challenges conventional supply chain practices and encourages organizations to rethink their operations through a sustainability lens. Deborah shares valuable insights on overcoming resistance to change, embedding sustainability across the supply chain, and leveraging technology to build resilient, circular systems.
For supply chain executives looking to future-proof their businesses while prioritizing sustainable practices, this conversation offers a roadmap for action. As regulatory landscapes shift and consumer expectations evolve, this interview provides timely and actionable insights just in time for Earth Day.
1. Can you share the inspiration behind writing Sustainable Supply Chain Orchestration and how it addresses the emerging trends in supply chain management?
D. Dull: Many people have questions about sustainability in supply chains but are unsure how to get started. Douglas Kent and I created this book specifically for them. We're often asked about the best steps to get started, or "what do I say if I'm asked x," so the intent was to put together a guide for people who want to lead change but don't feel they know enough. Throughout the book, we provide lots of examples so readers have references they can use when leading their organizations through this journey.
2. The book offers a framework for supply chain leaders to adopt more sustainable practices through the introduction of the “UNLEARN” model. As many companies strive to balance cost pressures with sustainability goals, can you share some insights on how the UNLEARN model helps support a business’ ability to align profitability with sustainability?
D. Dull: It's often assumed that organizations have to balance cost and sustainability. In fact, this is one of the topics we tackle in the book! It's not always the case that the "right" action costs more. We give a few examples in the book. For instance, where renewable energy is available, it is often less expensive than fossil fuel-based energy.
It's important, of course, to understand why sustainability is pursued as a topic and what the business is trying to get out of it. For example, it may be the case that it's a mitigation against upcoming regulation. Or it may be that sustainable options can be selected because it's simply good business. This is what the UNLEARN framework is all about, and readers will have a chance to explore their “why” as they work through the journey.
3. One of the key steps highlighted in the book is ‘Liberate from the Status Quo.’ Why do you think it is so difficult for companies to rethink traditional supply chain practices?
D. Dull: Many of the resources we have today are based on yesterday’s way of doing business – college courses, professional certifications, references, examples, news coverage. Often people don't even know there's another way. It can be difficult to know what we don't know, and to somehow come up with these new ways of working out of the blue.
For leaders who are keen to make changes, it can be difficult to find good examples that they can use to change their minds and change the minds of those around them. This is one of the reasons we wrote the book!
4. Embedding sustainability across the end-to-end supply chain requires significant change. What advice would you give to leaders who are just starting on this journey?
D. Dull: Get started. And get started with "the willing" because sometimes making big transformations begin with a small starting point. Sometimes it's just about getting started that brings the momentum needed for a larger engagement and movement.
For example, the book includes a number of questions to take to different areas of the team. These questions can be a starting point to gauge both interest and the existing sustainability maturity. The resulting answers can help to pinpoint where to start. There are also a number of activities we offer as a challenge for the reader to explore their organizations.
5. Looking ahead, what do you see as the biggest challenges and opportunities for sustainable supply chains over the next five to ten years?
D. Dull: The recent research around sustainability shows that organizations are not planning to change their investment or activities in sustainability, but they are less willing to speak publicly about it. This becomes a new type of “greenhushing.” This means that for the organizations who already see a business case for sustainable operations, they will continue on their path.
From a technology perspective, the introduction and scaling of LLMs and agentic workforces have the chance to dramatically shift how we do supply chain, and that will lead to different ways of working. For example, if we free up people's time to do more critical thinking, what type of solutions might they come up with? In this way, we'll have more space to collaborate.
And even while the US administration has taken various perspectives on sustainability, there are still discussions coming from the government on accelerating work such as circular supply chains, especially as it helps to increase the material security for what is available for US markets.
While it may not look the same, sustainability discussions and topics will continue.
6. Finally, what are the key insights and takeaways you hope supply chain leaders will gain from reading Sustainable Supply Chain Orchestration?
D. Dull: We wrote this book to help professionals interested in sustainability have the confidence to lead their organizations through the journey. We hope that they gain this confidence, have examples to take to their teams, ways to start and continue discussions, and ways to measure how they are progressing.
Really, we want the team to UNLEARN, which is the structure of the book. We hope leaders are able to take key learnings that apply to their organizations and have a reference guide to give them more confidence going through the journey for a better tomorrow.
About Deborah Dull
Deborah Dull is the founder of the Circular Supply Chain Network and Managing Partner of Trillium Digital Services. She authored "Circular Supply Chains: 17 Common Questions" and "Sustainable Supply Chains: Unlearning for a Better Tomorrow," with a third book on circular supply chains forthcoming in June. With experience at Zero100, GE Digital, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Genpact, and Microsoft, Deborah specializes in AI-driven supply chain innovation, self-driving supply chains, advanced analytics, and responsible business practices. She is a sought-after speaker and has been published in numerous industry publications. Deborah holds a BA in Supply Chain & Operations Management from Western Washington University and an MSc from the University of Liverpool, where her thesis focused on digital supply chain. She is currently pursuing her DBA from Heriot-Watt University.
