The Hidden Cost of Surplus Inventory and Idle Assets

Feb 2, 2026

Gordon Zellner, CEO and founder of Evergreen Trading who turns corporate surplus into capital with media purchasing and recycling, discusses why excess assets become financial and sustainability risks. He covers real cases like PPE and corporate jets. He explains media-as-currency, cross-functional solutions, and practical paths for resale and recycling to unlock hidden value.

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INSIGHT

Timing Drives Asset Value Loss

Excess arises from forecasting errors, relocations, and timing mismatches between book and market value.
Holding assets waiting for market recovery often costs more than rerouting value immediately.

ANECDOTE

PPE Overstock Became A Disposal Crisis

A global telecom bought nearly $500M of PPE during COVID and later faced disposal challenges due to alcohol-based sanitizer shelf-life.
Evergreen guided them through recycling processes that recovered value and avoided landfill.

ADVICE

Avoid Paralysis In Uncertain Times

Don't freeze during uncertainty; paralysis stops value-recovery decisions and often worsens outcomes.
Act proactively to identify and route excess rather than hoping demand returns.

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Three corporate jets as “excess assets.”
Absurd? Yes. Rare? Not really. What does that say about how companies handle surplus?

In this episode of the Resilient Supply Chain Podcast, I’m joined by Gordon Zellner, CEO and founder of Evergreen Trading, to unpack a problem most organisations quietly struggle with: surplus that turns into risk, waste, and financial drag.

Excess inventory, idle equipment, empty buildings, overbought materials. In uncertain times, these don’t vanish. They sit on the balance sheet, depreciating, distorting decisions, and nudging companies towards the easiest exit. Often landfill. Sometimes a write-off. Almost always value destruction. That matters now, as volatility, sustainability pressure, and capital discipline collide.

In this conversation, you’ll hear how Gordon’s team takes a very different approach. We break down why excess is inevitable, why freezing is the worst response, and how thinking horizontally across supply chain, finance, and marketing can unlock value that traditional disposal routes miss entirely. You might be surprised to learn how media becomes a financial instrument, why Gordon describes his model as “corporate recycling,” and how rerouting value can fund more sustainable outcomes without taking a financial hit.

We also dig into real examples. PPE bought in panic during COVID. Inventory headed for landfill. And yes, the three corporate jets. Not as a stunt, but as a consequence of routine decisions applied at scale. The lesson is uncomfortable, practical, and immediately relevant for supply chain leaders navigating risk, sustainability, data visibility, and resilience.

🎙️ Listen now to hear how Evergreen Trading is helping companies turn surplus into strategy, and rethink what resilience really looks like in practice.

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