Food packaging, previously our Commercial director Wrote a blog about the frustration with plastic packaging. A frustration because people have trouble opening plastic packaging, but also because plastic is used to package fruits and vegetables. By 2025, the Netherlands aims for a society, where all plastic packaging is made of recycled plastic. The common goal is to use less plastic. Reducing plastic packaging is one of the activities an organization can do for a sustainable logistics process. In addition, it is important to manage load carriers, which contain the sustainable packaging, so that they can be reused. With real-time insight into the supply chain, you can reuse load carriers and make the logistics process more sustainable.

Reducing food waste

A lot of food is thrown away every year; according to Milieu Centraal, around 9 percent of our food disappears unused into the garbage bin, which is around 34 kilos of food per person per year. It is partly up to the consumer to prevent food from being wasted, for example by properly storing leftover food and not shopping more than necessary. In addition, much of the food is already lost before it reaches the consumer. As an organization in the food industry, you can therefore also prevent food waste.

Choosing sustainable packaging

Plastic is not necessarily the least sustainable packaging because plastic does not weigh much. A truck loaded with plastic packaging is therefore less heavy. This ultimately results in lower CO2 emissions and transport costs, compared, for example, to a truck loaded with glass packaging. It is often thought that no packaging is the most sustainable option, but this depends entirely on the product being transported. For example, a tomato in packaging has a shelf life of two weeks, while a tomato that is not packaged has a shelf life of only about a week. In this case, a packaged tomato counters food waste. An organization will have to consider the various types of packaging and choose the most sustainable option that is appropriate for the product being transported.

Reusable load carriers

In addition to choosing a sustainable package for the product, it is important to use a sustainable load carrier to transport the package on or in it. This is also called tertiary packaging. There are different types of load carriers, also called returnable transport items, and a distinction can be made between single-use and reusable packaging

Sustainable logistics process through real-time insight

When you have made a sustainable choice in packaging and load carriers, it is also important that you can reuse your load carriers. Reusable packaging lasts longer than single-use packaging and has a longer lifespan. It is only possible to reuse reusable load carriers if they are returned after transport. It sometimes happens that an organization does not receive the same amount of packaging back. This forces organizations to purchase new packaging and results at the end of the year in high costs of returnable transport items. Packaging shortages result in increased packaging purchases and, with sustainability in mind, this is not environment-friendly. Insight into the supply chain by having an overview of where the load carriers are would be a solution to this problem. According to research by Sapio, 79% of the retail organizations surveyed think that insight is important for reducing food waste.

Efficient supply chain

With insight into the supply chain, smarter routes can be planned and conflicts over forecasts or orders can be avoided. With real-time data in TrackOnline you have insight into planned routes, shipped orders and expected return orders. This way you know exactly how much packaging you have at each location and from whom you can still expect packaging. With an online packaging platform you can view this data and exchange it between business relations. This way you manage your packaging in a sustainable way with a sustainable logistics process.

Want to know more about what a packaging registration platform can offer your organization? Please contact us by mail or phone (+315 750 1050). More information can be found in the brochure.