Reducing wastes through returnable packaging
One of the best ways to reduce wastes in material handling business is the use of returnable packaging. Folding bulk containers, industrial totes, and metal storage bins are some items which can be used over and over again within a facility or between a supplier and a customer. These bulk boxes may initially seem expensive compared to cardboard boxes and wood crates, they are much cheaper in the long term and savings can be observed quickly through repeated use (the same bulk containers, metal bins, and totes are used over and over), labor (no more box assembly), material handling (fewer moves from stackable containers), quality (fewer rejects due to damaged packaging), and floor space (plastic and metal containers can stack very high).
According to an estimate from the EarthWorks Group, 30% of landfill waste is created by plastic and paper packaging, cardboard products and other one-time-use packaging products.
Container Exchanger is an online marketplace that offers manufacturing and distribution businesses an outlet for procuring or selling used returnable packaging. The product offerings include many standard and common reusable packaging solutions like plastic totes, plastic collapsible bulk boxes, metal containers, wire baskets, and plastic pallets.
David Madden, President of Container Exchanger, recently reported that, “Returnable packaging improves material handling by reducing the number of moves from stackable containers. This type of lean manufacturing and distribution metric is quantifiable and makes this environmentally sound decision a good business choice as well.”
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