This one means a lot because of how much the industry has changed since we started. Being named Supply Chain Innovation of the year by longtime industry leadership and members of the National Retail Federation—our trade group—is huge, especially when donation at scale wasn’t even a conversation four years ago when we first started showing up at the annual NRF conference. Back then, we were often met with “why would we donate?” Today, donation is being recognized as one of the highest-ROI outcomes for returns.
LiquiDonate has been named a 2026 NRF VIP (Vendors in Partnership) Award winner, and we’re incredibly grateful—first just to be nominated, and even more so to be recognized alongside so many teams doing meaningful work in retail.
If you work in retail or supply chain, you know the VIP Awards aren’t about shiny tech or theory. They’re about real partnerships and real-world impact—solutions retailers actually use when volumes spike, margins are tight, and operations are under pressure. Being included here is a true honor.
LiquiDonate started just four years ago with a belief that felt optimistic at the time:
Retail waste isn’t inevitable. Donation shouldn’t be the hardest option. And reverse logistics can be redesigned to work for both business and community.
Since then, together with our retail and nonprofit partners, we’ve helped donate over 15 million items—goods that would have otherwise gone to landfill—into communities where they’re actually needed. That milestone belongs to the partners who trusted us early, challenged us often, and helped shape this platform into something practical, scalable, and impactful.
This award—coming on the heels of being named a TIME Magazine Invention of the Year—is a powerful reminder that the shift we felt coming is now here. Retailers are navigating rising returns, operational complexity, margin pressure, and growing sustainability and compliance expectations. What we’re hearing now is less “should we do this?” and more “how do we do this well?”
We’re deeply thankful to NRF, the VIP Awards judges, and the retailers and partners building alongside us. Circularity doesn’t happen in isolation—it takes collaboration across operations, logistics, finance, and community partners who are willing to rethink old defaults.
And truly—NRF Rev and the NRF Big Show were so much fun. Thoughtful conversations, honest questions, and a ton of exciting discussions with future partners who are pushing the industry forward. We left energized, inspired, and optimistic about what’s next.
As we head into 2026, we’re grateful for the momentum and committed to earning it every day. Reverse logistics doesn’t have to be a dead end—and we’re proud to be part of an industry that’s ready to build something better.
With gratitude, thank you for believing in this work.
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