As flexible packaging is becoming more popular suppliers must know the right credentials when it comes to the sustainable disposal or recycling of materials. Ensuring waste is correctly disposed of reduces a supplier’s carbon footprint and improves warehouse efficiencies. The importance of sustainable waste disposal cannot be underestimated – closed loop recycling processes are just one way of addressing this.
Closed loop recycling processes work by ensuring all disposed packaging in the warehouse is recycled in-house and then cultivated back into the business for use. Closed loop recycling processes significantly reduce the amount of waste going into the landfill. The demand on businesses to incorporate processes that drive real reductions in energy and waste is greater than ever before. Closed-loop systems can therefore go a long way towards meeting this requirement. One of the packaging methods that is coming to the forefront is the bag and tote system, where products are packed and placed in a tote bag then returned by the customer for re-use.
In regards to the carbon footprint of a supplier, good organization and customer convenience should be at the core of initiatives that cut down the amount of packaging used per customer – especially where the customer has numerous individual orders. Warehouse layout should allow these orders to be combined to cut down wastage and reinforce a one-stop-shop status in the process. Sustainable measures such as these can also help drive more efficient ways of working.
Source: Packaging Europe
http://www.packagingeurope.com/Packaging-Europe-News/57954/A-Holistic-Approach-to-Packaging-.html
