Now is the Time for Sustainable Packaging

With major disruptions to the supply chain over the past three years, these circumstances have created a setting for many to rethink how products are packaged to better take care of our environment and meet sustainability objectives while using the best suited and most readily available resources to do so.

Thankfully there has been no shortage of used cardboard boxes during the pandemic, with online ecommerce activity at history breaking consumption reaching far beyond historical highs.

Cardboard being in stable supply and being a universal by-product of consumerism has driven the demand for Cardboard Box Shredders to create sustainable, reusable and a circular packaging resource. This effective packaging material makes durable and reusable cushioning and void fill and is cost effective while offering excellent protection for product being shipped.

INFOSTOP CB430 High Capacity Cardboard Perforating Shredder   INFOSTOP CB410 Heavy Duty Cardboard Perforating Shredder   INFOSTOP CB410 Heavy Duty Cardboard Perforating Shredder

Not what most would have suspected just a few years ago, but stories of supply chain shortages and ongoing delays have become part of the nightly news, highlighting widespread stock outages, long lead-times, lost orders and uncertainty have made the supply chain a rather hot topic.

For fulfillment warehouses and distribution centres, much supply chain improvements have revolved around being productive, meeting customer service levels, effectively managing inventory all while walking this narrow tight rope. Recent disruptions in the supply chain have created an environment that accelerates innovation, sustainability, digital transformation and enhanced automation. Whilst nothing new, the rate of recent advancements would have previously been thought impossible.

As new technologies have become available, operations leaders have adopted them to satisfy heightened customer service expectations, offsetting shortages and improving order processing efficiency and ongoing sustainability objectives.

The growth of omni-channel commerce in the past few years has put significant pressure on vendors and retailers to transform how they do business. Fulfilment intricacies from both the supply and consumption side have made it necessary for retailers to better manage the complications involved fulfilling mixed orders from across their sources and providing customers with a choice of methods to receive their well packaged and protected products ordered online.

With the emergence of e-commerce, it has become more important than ever for retailers to deliver differentiated customer-centric experiences when online shipping regardless of how customers shop - in-store or online. Whichever way product is ordered, it goes without saying receiving freight damaged product can drive customers to the competition so using effective packaging that’s also sustainable and circular is a must have.

Thanks to the last few years of chaos and uncertainty, the global supply chain is better prepared than ever to navigate unpredictability and be less impacted from the effects of the past few years. That said our supply chains are still vulnerable to varied and erratic challenges with 2023 being no different.

From inflation to a looming recession, mass labour shortages and ever-increasing pressures from government and consumers to become a more sustainable, supply chain champions are preparing for a year full of forward-thinking and ever-evolving strategies.