Navigating Sustainability: Reusable Transport Packaging Solutions
Cost, efficiency, and sustainability are three key elements of supply chains. When transporting food and food products, you need to consider multiple factors from start to finish – such as your employees, your budget, and how you’re affecting the planet. Typically, wooden and corrugated packaging leads to complications that can slow you and your workforce down. However, these issues can be easily avoided with reusable transport packaging solutions. Here are three reasons why:
1. Bottom Line Impact
Switching to reusable packaging isn’t just a sustainable option in the long run – it also significantly lowers costs and impacts revenue.
In a survey conducted by DNV involving 525 business leaders and management personnel, working in companies with annual revenue exceeding $250 million, findings reveal that 25% of leaders have witnessed revenue growth due to their sustainability investments within their supply chains. Moreover, an additional 38% anticipate such growth within the next year.
Damage is one of the biggest causes of food waste during transportation. Shrink impact is the most immediate hit here, but your reputation as a reliable food provider takes a hit, too.
Reusable plastic crates (RPCs) save food waste by up to 50% on average, as they’re durable enough to protect your fresh goods in transport. Due to the durability and standard footprint of RPCs, loads are evenly stacked and securely transported. This means there’s zero box crush and toppling stacks.
Reusable packaging can also lead to preserved food freshness. They’re designed to offer enough ventilation to avoid unwanted humidity and moisture and decrease cooling times. Protection from box crush keeps proteins looking fresher and produce from being bruised.
Standard footprint and durability also optimizes the cube through higher stacks, reducing the number of transportation legs needed. Lighter plastic pallets allow for up to 6% higher loads before weighing out. Both lead to lower transportation costs and CO2 emissions reduction.
2. Labor Efficiency
Reusable containers make re-stocking faster in numerous ways. They eliminate all time at the bailer and have ergonomic handles for ease of movement and lifting injury avoidance. Reusable packaging also eliminates labor required for clean-up from box failures and creates more organized backrooms.
Standard footprint is perfect for automated environments, and stable stacks mean there is no need to re-stack pallets that have shifted in transit. Additionally, certain containers are display-ready, allowing store personnel to transfer them directly from the delivery truck to the shop floor without the need to relocate products between containers. This seamless integration saves valuable time, allowing you to refocus your employees on higher-value tasks, like re-stocking and customer service.
3. Sustainable Solutions
As the world moves towards a more sustainable future, you don’t want to be left behind.
Traditional corrugated boxes are one-time use and often end up in landfills since recycling is expensive and time-consuming. RPCs last through hundreds of trips in the supply chain and so are inherently more sustainable. However, nothing lasts forever. That’s why, at the end of their lifespan, Tosca RPCs are ground down to create new assets, further contributing to the circular economy.
Our pooling model allows your supply chain assets – such as handheld RPCs, plastic pallets, and bins – to be owned and managed by Tosca. But even then, the total water use associated with the production, washing, and recycling of Tosca products is 50% less than the water used to create single-use corrugated boxes. Additionally, by switching to pooled reusable containers, carbon emissions are reduced by 66% on average from improved cube: fewer trucks, fewer trips.
You can also combat the growing problem of food waste with reusable containers. Because RPCs are 4 times stronger than corrugated boxes, fresh goods incur less damage, reducing food waste by up to 50%.
Ready to Make the Switch?
Reusable transport packaging is the smart choice to address numerous business needs. Beyond cost savings across your operations, it enhances the overall well-being of your employees and has a tremendous impact on your sustainability goals.
At Tosca, we pride ourselves on providing future-proofed solutions meticulously crafted to address the unique challenges of each customer, ensuring their sustained success in a rapidly changing marketplace. With an innovative Research & Development team, coupled with a data-centric approach, we remain at the cutting edge of industry trends, ensuring that our clients are equipped with the most advanced tools and strategies to thrive.
With 60+ years of experience and a variety of transport packaging solutions, we’re a trailblazer in this space. If you’re ready to make a change, we can help you with a tailored solution that will make you green and save you green.
