- ZirConic® container sets a new standard for sustainable logistics
- With increased capacity and maximized foldability, the new equipment enhances efficiency during the production and packaging process in the first mile of logistics.
London, March 2024 –The Pallecon division of CHEP Europe has announced the launch of the ZirConic® foldable container, a highly anticipated innovation in ‘share and reuse’ dry equipment. Made with 97% post-consumer plastic (out of its total weight), this large container sets a new standard for sustainability. It is tailored to meet the needs of industries such as packaging, adhesives, e-commerce and co-packing and offers increased capacity and maximized foldability for higher efficiency. CHEP provides the ZirConic® container through its circular pooling service.
The ZirConic® container’s design prioritizes improvements in ergonomics and safety for customers while incorporating multiple innovative design features to facilitate manual and automated operations and processes. The design’s optimal foldability enables increased transport capacity for empty containers to boost pooling efficiency. In addition, this CHEP equipment boasts an optimized capacity of 708 liters and 750 kg, delivering greater transport utilization.
The digitalization of the ZirConic® container offers visibility of shipments within their respective supply chain. The data collected provides insights on the location of containers, usage patterns and cycle times, allowing customers to identify opportunities to improve efficiencies and better manage their business operations. CHEP can also provide a life cycle analysis of the CO2 emissions a company can save just by switching to this container using specific data provided by the customer.
“The ZirConic® container embodies our commitment to sustainability and circularity,” said Nicholas Gibbons, General Manager of CHEP Pallecon, Europe. “Transforming post-consumer plastic waste into a durable reusable platform is an example of regeneration that brings our business closer to our ambition to create a more sustainable supply chain. We are proud to introduce a versatile product that is easy to handle, from the container’s design to its ergonomics and practical features for various work processes. Our focus on high efficiency is exemplified by its optimised storage and loading capacity, resulting in cost and CO2 emissions reductions.”
About CHEP
CHEP helps move more goods to more people in more places than any other organization on Earth. Its pallets, crates and containers form the invisible backbone of the global supply chain and the world’s biggest brands trust CHEP to help them transport their goods more efficiently, sustainably, and safely. CHEP created one of the world’s most sustainable logistics businesses through the share and reuse of its platforms under a model known as ‘pooling’ and primarily serves the fast-moving consumer goods (e.g. dry food, grocery, and health and personal care), fresh produce, beverage, retail and general manufacturing industries.
CHEP employs approximately 11,500 people and owns approximately 353 million pallets, crates and containers through a network of more than 750 service centers. As part of the Brambles Group, CHEP operates in 60 countries with its largest operations in North America and Western Europe. For more information on CHEP, visit www.chep.com. For details on the Brambles Group, visit www.brambles.com.
Rick LeBlanc, EMBA, is the founder and editor of Reusable Packaging News (subscribe to the free newsletter) and editor of Western Pallet Magazine. A supply chain journalist with more than 30 years of experience, he specializes in pallets, reusable packaging, material handling and related operations. Rick is co-author of Pallets: A North American Perspective and Pallets & Progress: A Collected History of Pallets and Palletized Handling 1922–1945. He is also an advisory board member of the Virginia Tech Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design. Read Rick’s full bio.
