A box isn’t just a box: finding a better alternative to corrugated
Boxes are a basic need for your business – you have to get your product from point A to point B, unblemished and safe. You can either ship it in a corrugated box or a Reusable Plastic Container (RPC). It seems pretty simple – but the outcomes of each of these approaches can be wildly different.
A box is just a box, right? It gives you four sides, a bottom, and sometimes a top. Corrugated boxes are a one-way solution that are readily available and can be purchased and stored until they’re needed. In theory, isn’t that all you really need?
Not really.
Theories can be great, but in the supply chain, the road from farm to fork is filled with bumps and accidents. A few of those and suddenly, your theory – and the corrugated box – are damaged (as well as your product inside). But bumps aren’t the only obstacle. Moisture or humid conditions can impact your perishables, too. The inherent structural weaknesses of corrugated boxes can lead to sub-par performance – which can crush the contents inside.
Give the Corrugated Box the Boot
It’s 2019. There are stronger materials than corrugated cardboard to handle your perishable products. Tosca is revolutionizing the supply chain with our Reusable Plastic Containers. Made of durable, food-grade polypropylene, our RPCs are 4X stronger than standard corrugated boxes and can handle every bump and curve that’s thrown at them – and still bring your perishables to market, fresh and unblemished. Then, after we give them a thorough washing and inspection, they’re ready to go through the supply chain again – and again and again.
Put All Your Eggs in One Basket
Now, let’s talk about the most fragile perishables on the market – fresh eggs. Because of the RPC’s incredibly strong reinforced walls that provide greater structural integrity, eggs get through the supply chain unbroken and fresh. The result of shipping your eggs in RPCs versus corrugated boxes is overwhelmingly positive. In fact, RPCs can reduce your shrink by 50% or more, as measured by our retail partners. See? A box may seem like just a box – until it becomes much more than that.
Moisture Is Like Kryptonite to a Corrugated Box
Even dry, a corrugated box can’t match the durability offered by RPCs. And if moisture affects the box, its structural integrity can be severely compromised. In the perishable supply chain, moisture can come from a number of sources – from the ice crust on poultry packaging melting, to broken seals on primary packaging, to produce condensation. Since Tosca RPCs are made of durable plastic, they withstand weight and water – resulting in more turns through the supply chain, and less product and packaging waste.
Get Your Products in Better Shape
Take a pallet. Stack hundreds of pounds of perishables within corrugated boxes on top of one another. What’s likely to happen to the perishables inside? If you’re picturing your products being crushed inside corrugated boxes, you’d be right. Now you have to discount the product, or write it off entirely. Tosca RPCs are made to be stacked with the weight of each individual container evenly distributed along the 4 corners. This even load transfer results in incredible stability. Because of that, RPCs can stack up to 96” high within a refrigerated truck without any product damage – so your product always arrives in great shape.
Retail Ready Packaging is a Beautiful Thing
Tosca’s proprietary SmartWallTM design is built around a very simple truth: it’s easier and faster to stock your products by the container rather than individually. Simply slide the RPC on the shelf, drop the SmartWallTM, and you’ve got dozens of perishables ready to sell. Not only are stocking and labor costs greatly reduced, so are markdowns and potential messes to clean up. A corrugated box may hold your product in transit, but it doesn’t easily transfer to the shelf without additional steps involving box cutters and an associate – a far different result than what you’ll see with RPCs.
RPCs are Zero Waste Heroes
We don’t need any more landfills – our planet is already bulging with waste. And that waste is showing up on your bottom line. Because RPCs are truly reusable, they reduce that waste – packaging waste, product waste, and labor waste – resulting in a better supply chain solution. They give you better performance. They’re better for business. They’re better for the planet.
You don’t have to accept anything less.
To understand the full savings opportunity of RPCs for your business, we’ll complete a free in-depth supply chain assessment just for you.
