The requirements for transport packaging in the food and beverage sector are high. At the same time, the demand for more sustainability in logistics is becoming ever louder. Orbis offers plastic solutions - recyclable and reusable - as an alternative to packaging made of steel, wood or cardboard.
Pallets made of wood and boxes made of corrugated cardboard are still widely used in the food and beverage industry. Plastic transport packaging is a possible alternative for making supply chains more sustainableThey are characterised by their durability and can be used to transport products for years. The longer companies use packaging, the lower the consumption of resources. In addition, plastic remains dimensionally stable even after repeated use and is therefore suitable for automated processes.
Plastic pallets such as the German Pallet from Orbis Europe are suitable, for example for the safe transport of primary packaging made of aluminium or steel. In contrast to wooden pallets, the risk of goods being damaged by nails or wood splinters is reduced. The pallet top deck is equipped with ventilation holes for use in manual and automated washing and drying systems. Plastic pallets are made from up to 100 per cent recyclable material and adapted in size to the requirements of the industry.
Clean and safe alternative
The benefits of reusable pallets can be seen in practice: a manufacturer of beverage packaging that initially used wooden pallets for transport was increasingly experiencing product contamination, chipping, unstable product loads and consequently damaged primary packaging. After switching to plastic pallets from Orbis, the production facilities were cleaner. Thanks to their non-porous surface, they offer increased product protection and are easy to clean. The pallets met all customer requirements, while at the same time significantly reduced the number of damaged pallets due to their robustness. In the event of damage, plastic pallets can also be easily repaired. Thanks to the robust and durable pallet design, users save costs and conserve resources at the same time.
This also succeeds with the PlastiCorr reusable solution, which was developed for closed, automated supply chains in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) production. For primary packaging (inbound) or finished products (outbound), companies can replace cardboard packaging and boxes made from corrugated cardboard one-to-one with an environmentally friendly and economical solution without having to adapt existing packaging quantities or logistics processes. The changeover results in long-term cost savings, reduced resource consumption and increased cleanliness and efficiency.
Reuse instead of disposing
The materials of both solutions - German Pallet and PlastiCorr - are up to 100 per cent recyclable. As an alternative to disposal, Orbis buys back obsolete, irreparably damaged or outdated containers at the material price. Customers therefore do not pay for disposal and at the same time generate cost benefits when buying new containers. Orbis, in turn, feeds the raw materials back into the cyclerecycles them 100 per cent and processes them into new products.
Guest author: Jürgen Krahé, Senior Commercial Director EMEA, Orbis Europe