By opening an RPC service hub in Morocco, IFCO is supporting its retail partners in importing fresh produce from the country in reusable packaging wnile providing services to local producers.
Munich, Germany, October 2022- IFCO, the world’s leading provider of Reusable Packaging Containers (RPCs) for fresh grocery products, has opened a legal entity and new service hub in Casablanca, Morocco. With this expansion, IFCO takes the lead in supporting its retail partners by enabling environmentally friendly imports of fresh produce from the northern African nation.
While fresh produce from other European countries remains of great importance to retailers, imports from Morocco are an increasingly important source of fresh fruit and vegetables. The advantageous climate conditions in the country offer European distributors the opportunity to source fresh produce all year, enabling Morocco’s agricultural sector to continue growing.
Addressing the challenges of shipping fresh produce from Morocco in reusable packaging
Although both end users and retailers are demanding more environmentally friendly packaging solutions, most Moroccan produce is still imported in single-use packaging. Retailers have long faced administrative obstacles to importing fresh produce from Morocco in reusable packaging, as no pooler has been represented in the country.
Now, IFCO is the first and only pooler to open a legal entity in Morocco, making it easier for its European retail partners to manage RPCs. Dedicated to a more sustainable fresh grocery supply chain, IFCO also offers local support by lowering the administrative burden associated with RPC management. This enables a more sustainable supply chain from growers in Morocco to the point of sale in European countries.
IFCO has been engaging with local authorities to streamline procedures for its customers reducing the administrative burdens associated with the import and export of IFCO RPCs and enabling local producers to serve their European clients.
“We are delighted to expand our operations to Morocco, a source of fresh produce of growing importance to our retail partners,” said Michael Pooley, CEO at IFCO SYSTEMS
Spreading the benefits of IFCO RPCs to an additional market
“In addition to the general benefits of IFCO RPCs — like reduced CO2 emissions and food waste, better protection and superior ventilation of products, as well as reduced costs — we are now providing retailers and growers operating in Morocco with more sustainable packaging solutions and facilitating the procedures related to import and export procedures,” Pooley continued.
“Expanding our network of service centers to Northern Africa demonstrates our commitment in making the fresh-grocery supply chain more environmentally friendly and supporting our customers where needed.” Located in Casablanca in the North of Morocco, the new entity began operations on October 1, 2022. All European retailers using IFCO’s Black Lift Lock can benefit from this additional service and can gain further information through their regular IFCO contact.