Leading drugstore chain embarks on improving the sustainability of German retail through the use of the Q+ Reusable Display.
Cologne, June 5, 2024 – CHEP, a leading expert in pallet pooling, and dm, Germany’s leading drugstore with 2,100 branches, are jointly launching more sustainable promotional campaigns on the sales floor. dm branches will in future be offering goods on the CHEP Q+ Reusable Display . Promotional displays are a common means of promoting sales at the point of sale and, for decades, have generally been made from disposable cardboard, which is then destroyed. The CHEP Q+ Reusable Display offers a reusable alternative for the entire German retail sector.
“The widespread demand for reusable packaging requires careful consideration to find out where this option really has a climate-friendly impact,” said Dagmar Glatz, Head of Product Management, Sustainability, Packaging, dm-drogerie markt GmbH + Co. KG. “In the area of logistics, there is still considerable potential that we can exploit. The reusable display is undoubtedly a promising option for this.”
dm and CHEP: together for the environment
Using resources with foresight, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting biodiversity and ecosystems are goals that are important to dm. Made exclusively from post-consumer plastic waste (1) – made from upcycled polypropylene with EUCertiPlast certification – the Q+ Reusable Display corresponds to this sustainability strategy and helps to massively save disposable materials on the sales floor. According to an independent life cycle analysis (LCA) commissioned by CHEP, the reusable display reduces disposable packaging by an impressive 57% and CO2 emissions by 34% compared to conventional cardboard displays. For each display, this means up to 3.6 kg less cardboard and a reduction of approximately. 5.36 kg CO2 (2).
Stephan Horstmann, Director Retail at CHEP, emphasized the partnership’s importance: “The CHEP Q+ Reusable Display is an important milestone in promoting circular solutions at the point of sale. We are delighted to be taking this important first step together with dm to put sustainability into practice,” he said. This makes dm the pioneer in German retail. Every manufacturer and retailer is now invited to use a more environmentally friendly alternative for promotions.”
Closed loop according to the principle of the circular economy
The process for manufacturers and retailers is as simple as it is effective: after the promotion has ended, the display bases of the Q+ Reusable Display are delivered back to the retailer’s central warehouse together with the CHEP Q+ quarter pallet. Once there, the display bases are collected and transported to the nearest CHEP Service Center, where they are cleaned and inspected before being returned to the cycle. With this circular process, CHEP ensures that the displays are reused, thereby minimizing waste and resource consumption.
Successfully tested
A first test run of the Q+ Reusable Display occurred in the summer of 2023, where a standard for safe and effective handling in German retail was set. In a promotional campaign to mark the start of school, products from dm’s own brand SauBär, were tested in a mixed display. The tests showed that the Q+ Reusable Display is not only environmentally friendly but also meets retail requirements and presents brands attractively.
Another result was that using the Q+ Reusable Display makes the work of employees in the stores easier than with cardboard displays. Dismantling the Q+ Reusable Display after selling the products was clearly easier. In addition, the high stability of the CHEP display reduced transport damage – another important finding from the test.
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- Term for material obtained from end-users of products that have served their purpose or are no longer usable (including material returned within the distribution chain). The term “post-consumer” is sometimes used synonymously (source: ISO 15270:2008).
- Based on the product life cycle analysis (LCA) for a display with four shelves, including casing, top plate and hood, compared to a display made of 6.3 kg disposable cardboard.
About CHEP
CHEP does more than any other company in the world to move more goods, to more people, to more places. Its pallets, boxes and containers form the invisible backbone of the global supply chain. The world’s biggest brands trust CHEP to move their products more efficiently, sustainably and safely. CHEP has created one of the world’s most sustainable logistics companies through a model of sharing and reusing its load carriers known as “pooling,” serving, in particular, the fast-moving consumer goods (e.g., dry goods, food, health and personal care products), fresh produce and beverages, retail and general manufacturing industries.
The company employs approximately 11,500 people, and the power of collective intelligence through diversity, inclusion and teamwork is firmly embedded as a value. CHEP owns around 353 million pallets, boxes and containers, supported by over 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 about CHEP, visit www.chep.com
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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.
