Case USA97: How a Recycling Marketplace Mistook Credit Ledgers for Enterprise Architecture

Sunil Dutt Jha
Aug 11
2 min read

Overview:

This case is part of a 100-diagnostic series revealing how circular economy and recycling platforms have mislabeled token and credit systems as “Enterprise Architecture progress.”

In recycling marketplaces, a recurring pattern is treating digital credit or token ledgers as proof of architectural maturity.

Material diversion credits could be issued and traded, transaction transparency improved, and environmental claims became easier to report — yet the enterprise structure linking collection logistics, material verification, processing, compliance, and payments was never modeled.

P1–P6 Insight Preview: These six perspectives define how an enterprise connects intent to execution — P1: Strategy, P2: Business Processes, P3: System Behaviors, P4: Component Governance, P5: Implementation, P6: Business & Technology Operations.

P1 (Strategy): Credit issuance was positioned as market innovation, but no architecture-led plan tied it to actual diversion impact, regulatory compliance, or operational efficiency.

P2 (Process): Pickup and credit assignment workflows were defined, but quality verification, dispute resolution, and chain-of-custody processes remained inconsistent.

P3 (System): Ledgers weren’t behaviorally integrated with collection, processing, or buyer systems to enforce validation rules end-to-end.

P4 (Component): IDs, manifests, and attestation records were managed separately by different entities.

P5 (Implementation): Credit/token features were delivered quickly, while physical operations integration remained on hold.

P6 (Operations): Business ops issued credits efficiently, but tech ops manually audited and validated physical evidence for high-value transactions.

Stakeholder Impact Summary:

CEO/Marketplace Founder – accountable for market credibility and impact claims: Limited by weak P1 Strategy — credits circulate, but proof of actual recycling impact remains unreliable.
CIO – responsible for systems integration and platform governance: Impacted by P3 System Behaviors and P4 Component Governance — digital records are not tied seamlessly to operational events.
Sales Head (Brand & Buyer Partnerships) – manages corporate sustainability clients: Affected by P2 Processes and P5 Implementation — can sell credits but can’t assure fraud resistance without heavy manual checks.
Chief Enterprise Architect – ensures digital marketplace aligns with physical operations: Confronts P1–P6 issues — ledger systems operate as standalones, disconnected from operational execution.
Head of Recycling Operations – oversees collection, sorting, and verification: Feels P2, P3, & P6 — must manually reconcile digital records with actual loads, slowing fulfillment and trust.