Recycling, Reverse Logistics and?..Candy
The candy box is a container for all your favourite chew bars, gum and all your other favourite candy. A must-have for all kids and a great fashion accessory! The marketers are desperate for kids to user
their box - so much so that they will soon be giving them away!
There will be more about this new development later in this article, but before we get there, please consider HOW we get there:
Pressure to Recycle
The pressure for us to recycle and reuse goods has been steadily building these past few years and shows no sign of abating. Producers can no longer simply place goods on the market and then forget about them.
In many parts of the world, legislation is being introduced that will obligate producers and users to reduce packaging waste.
If companies are to comply with these rules and remain efficient and competitive, they must seriously and actively consider Reverse Logistics. In other words, as well as sending materials to customers they will need to take some of them back, even some waste materials.
What a Waste...
Whether you agree with this approach or not, this is the way that the world is heading. So, if you can't fight it, why not embrace it? Get the most from these
changes.
Take Reusable Transit Packaging. "What is that?" I hear you ask. Well, take baked beans as an example. The beans are carried in Primary Packaging - the tin can. The tin cans arrive at a store in a box - this is secondary packaging, but can also be termed Transit Packaging as it is the main unit handled by the warehouses and trucks. At least that is how things used to be. Nowadays there is a tertiary level and that is the pallet on which the boxes are carried - this is also transit packaging. Just go back to the box that the tins are carried in. Is it logical that the producers continuously purchase corrugated boxes and shops throw them away?
This is not just a waste of the earth's finite resources - it is also a waste of money for everyone apart from the box producer.
RTP is typically a container that is filled with products and once emptied at a store, is sent back again to be re-filled.
Now, packaging may not be the most exciting thing to ponder over, but just imagine what kinds of packaging could be reused. In fact, think of any packaging item, box, bag, bottle etc. Is there any that cannot be reused?
The box your PC came in? Yes! If you took the box and any filling back to the store, they could send it back, using Reverse Distribution, so that it gets back to the point where new PCs are packed into it.
Plastic Detergent bottles? Yes! They can be refilled. There may need to be some changes in the materials used, but in principle, this can be done.
Containers for Drugs? In many countries, the medical services offer to take back unwanted drugs. It is surely conceivable that the packaging could be returned for reuse.
Bottles? Well a few years ago, it was common for us to re-use milk bottles - in fact we still do in many places. In fact, many bottles, used for all sorts of products, used to be returned regularly. It was done, is still done in some places, and can be done in the future.
Jars and pots? Take them back to the shop - reverse distribution again. Yes, many will need to be sterilised and we may need to revert to glass instead of plastic in some instances - but it can be done.
What about that Candy?
Those that skipped from the top paragraph to this one have missed all the fun! We are talking about reusing packaging or even doing away with it. So how can this be done with smaller items? There is no doubt that it would not be possible to reuse smaller varieties of packaging such as candy wrappers where there is only a small amount of flimsy packaging.
But why, if the packaging is so small or flimsy, do we need packaging at all? I'll play devil's advocate here: we need packaging on these items to i) reduce damage and ii) help the customer and retailer identify the brand, iii) improve the presentation of the product. I'll agree (with myself) that packaging helps contain a product, and thus - even flimsy packaging - can prevent damage. I am not convinced about the other two arguments. Products can be marketed in a variety of ways. The images on the wrapper are only one of many outlets for the marketing message; and presentation - what better presentation than to see the product itself, rather than an image of the wrapper?
So how would the customer get these naked products from the store to their home? Well, why not have a little box for these items? Rather than take the empty used pack to the store for the producers to re-use why not let the customer reuse their own box? This could be their own personalised container? Why not a pasta box, a cheese box and ..... a candy box of course.
OK, so the candy box does not exist. However, if it did, just think of the benefits:
i) Zero packaging means lower costs for the producer. They would pack these items loose into reusable transit packaging to the store
ii) The store could sell or even give away their own candy boxes branded with their logo, or a candy producer could do the same
iii) The candy boxes could be used as a de facto redemption voucher as an encouragement for the customer to return to the same store
iv) Of course, the first company to do this will have a wonderful PR coup.
v) Less trash to be collected, less street litter and a better environment
The best people to help get this idea off of the ground will be kids who simply love new ideas and novelties and are not daunted by change - so, bring on the candy box and next time you throw a candy wrapper away, just think of the alternative. Vernon Stent is the author of "Waste Watchers" and an authority on Global
Reusable Transit Packaging and Reverse
Logistics. He is an Environmental Packaging Consultant for many companies, such as
Fly Killers specialists Arkay
Hygiene.
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
You Didnt Use Brainstorming to Select Your Measures, Did You?
Introduction
Directed Introspection
One of the greatest obstacles to progress can often be our awareness of past failures. If we tried something a couple of years ago and fell flat on our faces (and especially if we were ridiculed or derided as a result) we tend to be reluctant to rock the boat again. When we believe that history will repeat itself, we become paralysed by fear.
Avoiding The Sheep Dip
It is a sad fact that many employees are still being subjected to the age old training ritual of "sheep dipping". This is a process by which employees are "refreshed", "cleansed" and "re-invigorated" by ensuring they attend set training courses or, perhaps, are placed on the ubiquitous "refresher" course. This refresher course is, of course, necessary, because most employees forget what they have learned on similar courses that they had been previously on. Do they?
10 Ways New Managers Become Great Leaders
"It is a terrible thing to look over your shoulder when you are trying to lead and find no one there." - Franklin D. Roosevelt
Six Sigma Training 101 ? Better Management Basics
What is Six Sigma?
Competion or Cooperation?
It has been said, there is no better way to hone your skills and improve your performance, than competition. Competing with others, or even with your self, fosters continued improvement, striving for even higher goals, and an ongoing sense of achievement. Competition in the world of business is natural and expected. Every business has competitors that are vying for the dollars in the marketplace. And over the years, some of these competitors have been classic. Coke versus Pepsi comes to mind, as does Avis versus Hertz in the rental car industry. Years ago Miller Lite had commercials where two factions of their fans competed over the reason to buy their product. As a crowd gathered half the group would shout out "Less Filling!!" while the other half would retort "Tastes Great!!!" They were humorous commercials with Miller Lite being the only real competitor. These classic competitions served to strengthen the product itself and made the competitors stronger. In effect, both Pepsi and Coke won, as did Avis and Hertz.
The Three-category Approach to Performance Management: Effort, Ability, or Environment
Performance Management is the act of managing personal or organizational performance. What can complicate this process are all the factors that can arise where a textbook process meets the situations and people that exist in your world. As an effective director, manager, or supervisor it is your job to ensure the success of the organization by achieving of all key performance indicators.
Why and How to Work with a Consultant
A good consultant provides specialist abilities and experience, innovative ideas, second opinions (reality checks), unbiased appraisals, and new approaches.
Help Your Employees Prepare for a Performance Appraisal
PREPARING EMPLOYEES FOR THE PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL INTERVIEWS: Remind employees to give some thought to the purpose of performance appraisal: it is a means to learn from the past, plan for the future, and improve effectiveness and work satisfaction. The performance appraisal discussion is an opportunity to motivate, recognize, and reward your employee. It is a time for you and your employee to share perceptions about the employee's accomplishments during the performance period. It is meant to be a culmination of all previous communications made during the performance period.
Can Your Business Run Without You?
If you are a business owner or a business owner to be, let's examine this scenario.
Importance of Just-In-Time Inventory System
In today's competitive world shorter product life cycles, customers rapid demands and quickly changing business environment is putting lot of pressures on manufacturers for quicker response and shorter cycle times. Now the manufacturers put pressures on their suppliers. One way to ensure quick turnaround is by holding inventory, but inventory costs can easily become prohibitive. A wiser approach is to make your production agile, able to adapt to changing customer demands. This can only be done by JUST IN TIME (JIT) philosophy.
Must Project Managers Be Technically Savvy?
"Must Project Managers be technically savvy?" This topic always seems to cause quite a stir. While some believe that all you need to manage a project is a PMP certification, others are convinced that you can't successfully manage a software development project unless you truly understand the intricacies of the product.
How to Create a Trusting Manager-Employee Relationship
BUILDING TRUST AS A MANAGER:
1. Be reliable. Follow through on things. Keep your promises. 2. Have ethics. Telling your people the truth and don't reveal their confidences. Being fair and honest with employees. 3. Show respect for your employees. Treat them as adults and show appreciation for their ideas and for the work they do.
Innovation Management ? what are the practical impediments?
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.
3 Ingredients of Highly Profitable Organizational Change
As waves of organizational change sweep across the business landscape, a huge question arises: What must a leader do to make sure change produces highly profitable results?
Effective Meetings: Why Most Meetings are a Waste of Time
Whether your company holds one meeting a week or dozens of meetings a day it is essential that this time is used efficiently and effectively. Most meetings are less effective than they could be not because they are poorly managed, but because meeting managers spend all of their time focusing on the one or two hours when people will be gathered around the conference table or video screen. Smart meeting managers know that it is the actions you take during the three days immediately before the meeting which are much more important than the meeting itself.
Six Honest Business Friends - They Guide Me In All I Do
SIX "HONEST BUSINESS FRIENDS" - THEY GUIDE ME IN ALL I DO
Telephone Techniques: Boost Your Productivity With Effective Phoning
One of the things that most impacts people's productivity is not being able to focus on completing one task at a time ? we are so overloaded with tasks and interruptions that it requires great discipline to avoid spending the entire day responding to other people's agendas. Telephone calls, both making and receiving them, are one of the greatest disruptions to the flow of the day and to our ability to concentrate on the task at hand. And the use of mobile phones, while a great asset to our business and personal lives, requires a whole new set of communication skills as well as business and social etiquette. By managing how and when we make and receive calls we can not only make better use of our time but make a better impression on the person at the other end of the line, too.
Lets Flourish and Prosper!
Some say that in business as in sex: if it is good, it's great and if it is bad it's still pretty good. This does not happen to be true. If business is bad, it can get very bad. There are personnel problems, production expenses, overhead, laws, taxes, fines. Faulty financial decisions, inability to accurately evaluate the situation and quickly resolve problems all lead to an extremely high mortality rate among new business: up to 95% do not survive past their first 12 months.
Characteristics/Attributes of a Lean Operation
Fundamentals in Place
|
