How Sustainable Are Reusable Plastic Packaging Solutions?

It should come as no surprise that reusable packaging is more environmentally responsible than single-use packaging. But to facilitate and scale a program of reusable assets, companies rely on added logistical infrastructure to collect and manage those reusables, including warehouses and trucks, leading to more pollutants. In addition, many of these reusable assets are made of plastic – itself one of the most visible sources of pollution. So the question persists: with these added sources of environmental impact, is a reusable packaging program truly sustainable?

The answer is an unequivocal ‘yes’. Still, it is worth exploring the ways that the above balance out when implementing a program of reusables, and how the process can become more ecologically sound over time.

The Problem with Plastics

Since the invention of Bakelite in 1907, plastics have revolutionized so many products we take for granted in our daily lives, with packaging dominating over one-third of all plastic consumption worldwide. Even more importantly, packaging accounts for more plastic waste than any other use, by an astounding margin – packaging generates almost as much plastic waste as every other use of plastic, combined. Add to that the fact that most of the recyclable plastic packaging that ends up in consumers' hands never gets recycled, instead ending up incinerated, in landfills, or – worst of all – in rivers, streams, and oceans.

Why Use Reusable Plastic Packaging Then?

If this is the case, why suggest a move from a type of transport packaging like wood crates or pallets to plastic alternatives (besides the cost savings)? Perhaps the best answer is that laid out by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, in the quest for a truly circular solution that can unlock the real power of the “miracle” material plastic was always marketed as. Their vision encompasses 6 points for approaching plastic:

1. Elimination of problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging through redesign, innovation, and new delivery models
2. Reuse models are applied where relevant, reducing the need for single-use packaging
3. All plastic packaging is 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable
4. All plastic packaging is reused, recycled, or composted in practice
5. The use of plastic is fully decoupled from the consumption of finite resources
6. All plastic packaging is free of hazardous chemicals, and the health, safety, and rights of all people involved are respected

The move to reusable transport packaging like plastic crates or pallets in fact meets all 6 of these points, by implementing a reuse model that has the added benefit of decreasing other forms of waste besides plastic waste, including the waste of raw materials like metal and wood as well as waste from product spoilage and loss. These plastic packaging solutions even increase worker safety by cutting down on the need for manual breakdown and disposal of single-use transport packaging materials.

When companies look to design and develop their reusable packaging, they can address the lifecycle of the plastic components they may incorporate and how they can best steward those resources through the reuse and recycling process in order to maximize adherence to the rules mentioned above. Those that may question the value of this commitment can be reminded of the fact that over half of consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable products.

Balancing New Sources of Emissions

Another concern that arises with the reverse logistics process – that is, the process of recovering, refurbishing, and returning these reusable packaging assets to the original manufacturer so they can use them again – is the need for new shipping and warehousing infrastructure to manage those assets. The basic argument goes like this: if you switch from single-use to reusable packaging, you then need twice as many shipments, since now you’re delivering those packaging assets both ways instead of one way. This argument is patently false, for a number of reasons.

First, once you remove the products inside the packaging, you can fit significantly more of the packaging assets into return shipments, decreasing the space needed on trucks such that you would never have as many return shipments as original shipments to a retailer/dealer. A great example of this type of reusable packaging efficiency is collapsible crates, which typically are 1/5^th the size of a full crate when collapsed. That means for every 5 FTL shipments of products in crates to the retailer there would be 1 FTL shipment needed for returning those collapsed crates for reuse.

But even that doesn’t account for the reality that reusable packaging, especially when applied to transport packaging (as opposed to consumer packaging), is designed to provide efficiencies not only to the recovery and return part of the supply chain, but in the original shipments, as well. The most obvious way this happens is by designing packages that allow for more effective stacking and spatial management inside shipping containers and trucks, reducing the total number of shipments required to bring products to market in the first place.

The argument also doesn’t consider the secondary carbon offsets inherent from reusable packaging implementation. These include the transportation of waste through emissions-heavy systems, and the incineration of much of that waste. One great example is that of Outpace, who replaced cardboard packaging with recycled polypropylene containers and eliminated 1200 tonnes of cardboard waste per year, as well as 900 tonnes of annual product spoilage. That reduction of waste means fewer trucks to carry it and fewer emissions from processing that waste in a landfill.

For years now, these benefits have been well-documented. On average, reusable packaging solutions reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 29% compared to single-use packaging, as well as leading to 39% lower energy consumption and 95% less solid waste.

Reusable Plastic Packaging is the Future

If those arguments are not convincing enough, there are a number of initiatives focused on further cutting the environmental impacts of these reusable packaging programs, and they are being implemented as we speak. At the federal level, recent changes to fuel-efficiency standards for trucks are already resulting in major cuts to the GHGs produced by a closed-loop supply chain.

To fully realize a reusable packaging program’s sustainable benefits, you must be mindful of what resources are available to you. As Nina Goodrich, Executive Director of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition says, “Know your market, and learn what infrastructure exists in your area. For example, if you own a small business and want to use 100%-compostable salad bowls – but there’s no composting infrastructure where you sell – that’s not the best strategy for becoming more sustainable.”

Luckily, several studies have been conducted to determine the best way to construct these supply chains in order to maximize efficiencies, both environmental and economic. (The fact that some of them are being conducted by venture capital and investment firms only underpins the growth in this sector.) As that infrastructure becomes more robust, the opportunities for more companies to take part grows, and the costs decrease for all.

Conclusion

While the specific details of a reusable packaging management solution are unique to the business implementing it, the one thing all of these programs have in common is that any of the environmental risks are strongly outweighed by the benefits. With the United Nations avowing that a circular economy is crucial to realizing the goals of the Paris Agreement, there is no question that reusable packaging is key to achieving sustainable operations for manufacturers, retailers, and their supply chains now and into the foreseeable future.

Trying to hit your sustainability goals and create supply chain efficiencies? Contact us to find out more about reusable plastic packaging programs!