- Pallet pooling leader promotes customer collaboration and innovation at Plastic Waste Free World through Zero Waste World Program
- Outlook for a pilot project for packaging-free aisles and new reusable load carriers with a high recyclate value.
Cologne, November 23, 2022 – CHEP took part in the Plastic Waste Free World Europe event as an expert in zero-waste supply chain solutions and shared his knowledge and experience as a long-time provider of reusable pallets and containers and a pioneer of the circular economy. The company presented its Zero Waste World program (ZWW), a collaborative initiative founded in 2019 that leads waste prevention initiatives with a focus on eliminating single-use packaging. The goal is to create value for CHEP customers, the planet, and companies. The program works with a broad network of manufacturers and retailers to develop joint solutions and implement them at scale.
In addition to the CHEP experts Katrin Zeiler, Senior Director Zero Waste World, and Daniel Lopez, Director Product and Innovation Management, representatives from around 130 companies spoke at the event. All companies are already adopting sustainable and circular approaches, helping tackle the global plastic pollution crisis.
Pack-free aisles as the next trend
According to Eurostat, 177.2 kg of packaging waste was generated per inhabitant in Europe in 2020, of which around 40% was cardboard and paper, 20% plastic, 19% glass, and 15% wood. About half of the world’s annual plastic production is for single-use products. Sustainable packaging can drastically reduce this waste, as evidenced by zero-waste stores.
CHEP wants to go one step further and reduce single-use packaging in traditional retail. That’s why the company has joined UK retailers Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Ocado, Waitrose & Partners in the Refill Coalition connected to design and scale reusable refill containers and dispensers together. When set up in retail, these are intended to form an aisle with no packaged goods. The initiative aims to reduce packaging waste by 98%.
“As a collaborative program leading initiatives to reduce waste and create value for our company, our customers and our planet, we look forward to working together on sustainable and future supply chains – moving towards regenerative supply chains,” explained Zeiler.
Circular economy already anchored in the design process
As part of a holistic view of the product lifecycle, CHEP has implemented waste and pollution elimination from conception through use to the end of life of its flagship product, the plastic and wooden pallet. This makes it possible to design and upgrade new products from recycled materials that can be used in the circular economy for many years. At the same time, the need for disposable packaging is reduced. Finally, the conditions are created so that all components and their materials can be recycled into other reusable products. These are shared as part of CHEP’s pooling model. Design practices and integral material management were implemented to help regenerate the supply chain.
“By adopting the principles of zero waste and zero pollutants as part of our innovation strategy, we have implemented a solid plan to improve and develop existing and new retail products. The result is not only the upcycling of plastic waste recovered from the environment, but also creating the conditions for building a regenerative supply chain. Upcycling has proven to be a key factor here, as it makes a strong waste-positive contribution to our already circular pooling model,” reported Lopez.
“We expect to bring more than 6,000 tons of upcycled plastic waste into existing and new Store Solutions from 2023 onwards, while ensuring that it stays in the circular economy for many years,” he continued. “This is a direct contribution from CHEP to reducing the burden on consumers ecosystems of our planet and rejuvenating the retail supply chain.”
Climate-neutral load carrier
One example is CHEP’s new quarter pallet, the Q+ range of Store Solutions: In 2019, CHEP launches the Q+ display platform on wheels, made from 100% upcycled post-consumer polypropylene (PP) to completely replace virgin material. In 2023, the static Q+ version will follow: it will be made from 100% post-consumer PP plastic with at least 70% upcycled material from residential and commercial recycling sources. This plan for European Store Solutions is fully in line with the company’s goal of using at least 30% recycled content in all plastic products entering the pool by 2025.
CHEP has followed an inherently sustainable model since its inception, the company notes. Since 2020, it has gone one step further and launched an even more ambitious strategy: to build regenerative supply chains by 2025 – through new ways of sharing and collaborating, eliminating waste and dead miles, and reducing cost and complexity. That means “going beyond zero” and giving back to the planet and society more than it takes to run its business.
About Plastic Waste Free World Europe
Plastic Waste Free World Europe has established itself as the world’s best-known and busiest plastic waste prevention event, attracting some of the world’s biggest brands and most respected sustainability experts when it was first hosted.
The senior executive-level conference and exhibition will focus on how international companies across a wide range of industries are reducing the use of fossil fuel-based plastics, phasing out single-use plastic, designing and manufacturing more sustainable bio-based products and packaging solutions, adopting circular business models and ultimately help solve the global plastic pollution crisis. More information about Plastic Free World Europe can be found at https://www.plasticfree-world.com.
Source: CHEP Germany (Google Translate)