The purpose of this thesis is to gain exposure to current supply chain research topics through attendance of four seminars. The first portion of this paper includes summaries of each of the four seminars that I attended. These summaries are followed by an analysis of sustainable Styrofoam alternatives with a focus on factors deterring widespread use of these alternatives. This topic relates to the first seminar I attended, presented by Dr. Karen Donohue from the University of Minnesota. Specific areas of Donohue’s presentation — the shift toward e-commerce, and consolidated shipping with reduced packaging— sparked my interest in available alternatives for a popular, but unsustainable, packaging material: Styrofoam. I primarily considered journals and articles for the second portion of this thesis, but I also investigated these alternatives through visiting manufacturer websites discussing available products, production processes, and other available information.

Online shopping is becoming more and more popular, and plastic based e-commerce packaging still dominates a large portion of the market. Most plastic is incapable of biodegrading, and even recyclable plastic is thrown away 90% of the time due to overcomplicated recycling policies. In this project, I study what users want from ecommerce packaging and work to design a solution that is better for users, businesses, and the environment as a whole.