An article in Fortune (April 11, 2011, page 25) tracks the movement and transformation of oil soaked booms from the BP Gulf oil spill.  The reverse supply chain involves use of centrifuges in trucks to remove the saltwater and oil, then movement of the product in trash bags to Evansville, IN where it is melted and chopped, then movement to Lucent Polymers in Goshen, IN where it is extruded (and forms 25 % of the overall content) to form air baffles, then movement to the Chevy Volt assembly plant in Detroit.  The supply chain flows permit the entire year’s production of the Chevy Volt to be satisfied.  Given the amount of on the road movement of product, is this supply chain an example of sustainability ? While the article does not mention it, would subsidies from BP be necessary to make this reverse supply chain economically viable ? Should such tracking and use be demanded for future disasters ?