The starting shot for the production and distribution of the reusable plastic containers has now been given with the decision to produce the injection molding tool by the companies Georg Utz and IPP, states GS1 Germany.
Packing, unpacking, repacking. Before shampoo, soap, and toothpaste are on the store shelf, the transport container may change several times. In production, goods are placed into the outer packaging in cardboard boxes and then onto the pallet. On the way to the point of sale (PoS), the products are often repacked in the retail distribution centers, picked for the branch, and so on. Transport boxes are also used, but they are all different and cannot be exchanged.
“That is extremely inefficient, increases costs and produces a lot of packaging waste,” says Reinhard Wesp, Director of Logistics DACH, Procter &Gamble e-service. “Therefore, together with other industrial companies, partners from the trade and GS1 Germany, we have developed a standardized and sustainable solution with the reusable container GS1 Smart-Box.”
Several well-known brand manufacturers and trading companies have agreed on the use and exchange of the new transport box in an open pool. A key outcome is to reduce cardboard boxes, foils, and the variety of containers to a minimum and simplify the handling of goods logistics.
The starting shot for the production and distribution of the reusable plastic containers has now been given with the decision to produce the injection molding tool by the companies Georg Utz and IPP. One hundred thousand standard reusable containers will initially be available to introduce into the market.
“With the GS1 Smart-Box we are taking a decisive and progressive step towards more efficient and environmentally friendly retail logistics,” explained Christian Bodi, Managing Director of Logistics at dm-drogerie markt. “This means that we will, for example, further reduce emissions of the climate-damaging greenhouse gas through better utilization of cargo holds. The development of the GS1 Smart-Box impressively shows that cross-company approaches lead to intelligent and sustainable solutions. “In addition to dm-drogerie markt and Procter & Gamble, Beiersdorf, Cosnova, Edeka, Henkel, Kao, L’Oréal, Migros, Müller Drogeriemarkt and Rossmann are among the first movers.
The aim is to test the container in practice from spring 2021. A new GS1 recommendation for action will, among other things, structure the open pooling planned in the further course on the basis of a set of rules and the GS1 standards. “Once again, the example of this solution shows how companies find and promote sustainable approaches on the GS1 Germany platform in order to meet both the requirements of business and those of environmental protection,” emphasized Thomas Fell, Managing Director of GS1 Germany special character of the project.
“One more step revealing the profound impact that the Physical Internet initiative is having in industry, gradually leading major players to move forward,” Benoit Montreuil, Professor and Coca-Cola Chair in Material handling and Distribution at Georgia Institute of Technology commented in response to the announcement. “Here, kudos to GS1, IPP and Georg Utz for introducing this Smart Box, another key milestone toward Physical Internet (PI) handling containers, which may have significant impact, notably in end-to-end retail logistics.”
Initially, the GS1 Smart-Box will be used in the drugstore segment and later also accompany other goods from the fast-moving consumer goods sector – such as clothing or confectionery – in a product-friendly, environmentally friendly, and process-friendly manner from production to the point of sale. Interested companies from industry and trade who would like to take part in the project can contact Nadine Rosenkranz, Lead Programs at GS1 Germany: nadine.rosenkranz @ gs1.de , 0221 / 94714-306.