Links and Resources

Resources and information on reusable transport packaging.

Reusable Transport Packaging: A Better Way

www.greenguardian.com/business/for_shipping.asp

This web site provides Twin Cities businesses the information they need to make informed decisions about making the switch to reusable transport packaging. "Reusables 101" is an excellent introduction, and case studies highlight companies that have made the switch to reusables. Minnesota businesses can turn a statewide environmental problem into an opportunity to save money! Sponsored by the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board in partnership with the Reusable Pallet & Container Coalition.

Transport Packaging: Cost-Effective Strategies for Reducing, Reusing and Recycling in the Grocery Industry

Headley Pratt Consulting, Minnesota OEA, APC (1998)

Old corrugated containers (OCC), plastic film, and wooden pallets comprise nearly 20 percent of municipal solid waste. This guide is a tool to help large generators make informed decisions about reducing, reusing, and recycling transport packaging. The information gathered in this report came from working with the grocery industry, but applies to any large user of transport packaging. The manual features:

• Best management practices for OCC, plastic film and pallets, based on lessons learned at the store level.
• Profiles of three different grocery stores and one large distribution center, highlighting existing waste management practices and costs, recommendations for improvement, and cost-benefit analysis.
• Potential markets for recycling transport packaging.

Delivering the Goods: Benefits of Reusable Shipping Containers

David Saphire, INFORM, Inc. (1995)

Packaging represents nearly one-third of the total solid waste stream, and materials used to transport goods (transport packaging) make up nearly half of packaging waste. So strategies that aim to reduce transport packaging can have a significant effect on the nation's solid waste burden. This report examines the opportunities and obstacles involved in implementing one specific strategy for preventing the generation of packaging waste: reusing shipping containers.

Whether reusable containers are made of corrugated cardboard or of other materials, such as plastic, reuse provides opportunities to reduce the amount of material entering the waste stream and to lower a company's packaging costs. Through a series of company case studies, the report describes settings in which reusable shipping containers are used today, obstacles to their use, and options available to both industry and government for expanding their use.

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

www.deq.state.or.us/lq/sw/packaging/index.htm

The Oregon DEQ ran a multi-year project where the agency and a contracted packaging engineer worked with a variety of businesses to evaluate their use of packaging. Project participants made changes resulting in an estimated prevention of 493 tons of packaging/year, with estimated annual savings of nearly $1 million.

One of the project outcomes is a web site with a number of nice resources: packaging best practices and case studies, checklists and evaluation tools to evaluate packaging choices, and extensive links to related resources.

last updates January 2007

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