Since May 2021, a total of 100,000 boxes have been used in a closed pool in the consumer goods segment to transport items from producers to the central warehouses of retail partners. From there, they are delivered back to the suppliers for refilling via the pooling service provider IPP. This circular economy replaces the one-way system of disposable packaging, which is disposed of after a single use. And in many cases, it makes the constant packing and repacking of items along the entire supply chain superfluous. It also supports the increasing automation of retail warehouses. By using the standardized GS1 Smart Box, logistics processes can be optimized in such a way that up to 20 percent of logistics costs can be saved in this chain. This has been confirmed in practice over the past few months.

Cycle instead of one-way street

After use, the empty boxes are transported to the pooling service provider, where they are cleaned and checked before being returned to the producer. The Institute for Energy and Environmental Research in Heidelberg (ifeu) has calculated all equivalent_{CO2 emissions} caused during the entire life cycle of the GS1 Smart Box - from raw material extraction to the use phase and the recycling process. Compared to the values of a disposable solution, the GS1 Smart Box produces up to 35 percent less_CO2 in the average scenario. "The reusable transport box has clear advantages over disposable cardboard boxes for short and medium distribution distances of up to 1,400 km due to standardization, pooling options and better utilization potential," explain the ifeu experts.

The more participants, the shorter the distances

For the GS1 project team, the ifeu assessment is further confirmation of its work. With the new box, supply networks in the FMCG sector can be made more efficient and also measurably more sustainable in terms of climate friendliness. The more companies participate in the pool, the more pronounced these benefits become, explains GS1 project manager Matthias

Haubenreißer: "With an increasing number of participants and decentralized pooling service providers, the transport routes within the cycle are shortened, so that long distances are eliminated and the superiority of the Smart Box in terms of_{CO2 emissions} compared to cardboard becomes even clearer." According to ifeu estimates, another sustainability aspect is that the use of reusable containers along the supply chain from supplier to retailer means up to 60 percent less cardboard packaging and therefore fewer natural resources are consumed.

A practical solution

The future potential of the box for logistics processes was also recognized by the European technology and research platform for logistics and supply chain management ALICE (Alliance for Logistics Innovation through Collaboration in Europe) at the end of 2021. It presented the reusable solution with the Logistics Innovation Gold Award in the "Implementable Solutions" category. The jury's statement said: "The GS1 Smart Box is an innovative and reusable standard transport box for increasing efficiency and sustainability in logistics processes. By taking into account the EUL loading heights of 1.20 and 2.40 meters, it enables optimal transport and storage use for fewer transports, lower costs and, last but not least, lower_{CO2 emissions}."

Container family to come

"We are delighted about the award for the GS1 Smart Box. All the more so as it is a clear signal that it is perceived as a European standard. It is already being used in cross-border delivery networks and is to be successively expanded," says Haubenreißer. The box is currently being used in the drugstore segment. Measuring 600 x 400 x 211 millimetres, it forms the basis for the future container family. The aim is to offer the boxes within the entire FMCG sector in an open pool in order to promote cross-company and cross-national exchange and thus ensure greater efficiency and sustainability along the supply chain between producers and retail warehouses. The foundations for open pool management, including a set of rules, will be developed in the coming months.

Currently, Beiersdorf, Colgate-Palmolive, Cosnovoa, Henkel, Kao, L'Oréal and Procter & Gamble are involved on the industry side, while Budni, dm-Drogeriemarkt, Edeka, Müller and Rossmann are involved on the retail side. The Smart Box is manufactured by Georg Utz.

The article appeared in materialfluss SPEKTRUM 2022 (7/22).