LogisticsCircular EconomySustainability
The Unsexy Business of Making Returns Profitable
Elena Voss co-founded Circular Route to turn the logistics nightmare of returns into a revenue stream. She explains why the best climate ideas often look like boring operations companies.
Elena Voss|Co-Founder & COO|Circular Route| 40 min April 26, 2026
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About Elena Voss
Elena Voss co-founded Circular Route, a reverse-logistics platform that helps retailers resell, refurbish, or recycle returned products. She holds a PhD in operations research and previously worked in supply chain at Zalando.
Key Takeaways
- 1The best climate businesses are often operations businesses wearing a green cape.
- 2Data is the real product; the trucks are just the delivery mechanism.
- 3Enterprise sales reward patience and proof points over charisma.
Transcript Excerpt
“Returns are a $500 billion problem. The environmental cost is massive, but the economic cost is what gets retailers to change. We built a system that makes both better...”