FEATURE Packaging and Logistics
eCommerce packaging must change to meet COP26 objectives
Jo Bradley, Business Development Manager at Sparck Technologies, analyses the paths the industry can take to tackle climate change ills
T
he recent COP26 summit has sharply put into focus the contribution that supply and distribution chains, especially in
e-commerce, make to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other environmental ills. Many companies have already committed to change but, as consultants McKinsey note: “In many instances, net-zero commitments are running ahead of companies’ own plans to meet them”.
Clearly, it will take years, and much innovation and investment is needed in material production, product design and distribution technology, to deliver net-zero supply of products. But one step that e-commerce businesses could take economically, eff ectively and right now is to stop delivering products that consumers neither want nor need – including excess packaging.
If businesses are serious about aligning their policies to COP26 objectives, then simple, obvious steps to reducing waste should be taken now. The cardboard box is a wonderful invention, but the commonplace experience of receiving small items in grossly oversized packaging often fi lled with non-recyclable polyethylene or polystyrene void fi ll, has moved from amusing, through annoying, to downright scandalous. This is a wasteful act
24 February 2022 | Automation
that undermines eff orts to attain a net-zero future.
As a material, cardboard packaging may be far more environmentally acceptable than its petrochemical-based alternatives, but it is still a valuable resource that should be used as thoughtfully and sparingly as possible. Making and recycling paper and cardboard is an energy-intensive process using signifi cant amounts of hot water, so keeping the amount of cardboard we use to an absolute minimum is an important step on the journey to achieving a net-zero supply chain. The e-commerce sector has an opportunity – indeed, a duty! – to use available technology to make right-sized packaging for each individual e-commerce order. Sparck Technologies (formerly Quadient) off ers CVP Automated Packaging Solutions that create ‘right-size’ boxes in seconds by scanning and measuring the goods – single or multi- item orders – cutting and erecting the box, sealing, weighing and labelling. Interestingly, multiple corrugate feeders are becoming more popular with e-commerce businesses as diff erent widths of cardboard can be selected automatically by the machine to minimise off cuts – and branded board is also an option. By minimising corrugate use, cardboard consumption reduces by 30% on average, and void fi ll is virtually eliminated, signifi cantly reducing packaging material costs. And as
businesses are well aware, cardboard is under signifi cant upward price pressure. Furthermore, using smaller boxes means
a greater density of product per truck or van load. A reduction in volume for a given quantity of goods of up to 50% potentially reduces the number of trucks required on trunk routes, and the empty running caused by ‘last mile’ vehicles having to return to depot to reload in mid-shift – both of which can signifi cantly reduce transport GHG emissions and costs, as well as other environmental harms, from noise pollution to congestion. CVP packaging solutions also conserve other scarce resources. Labour shortages are driving up staffi ng costs in the logistics industry, but right-size packaging can help reduce the requirement for drivers and staff within the warehouse – a CVP machine can typically replace between eight and 20 manual packing stations. Up to 500 shipments an hour can be produced by the CVP Impack machine, and 1100 packages an hour on the CVP Everest. They can also save on another resource that is becoming increasingly expensive – warehouse space.
https://sparcktechnologies.com CONTACT:
Sparck Technologies
automationmagazine.co.uk
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