Beverage-makers employ a variety of methods to get their products from the manufacturer or distributor into the retailers. But an otherwise smooth cycle can reach a speed bump when companies look for solutions that create less waste than one-way disposable delivery options. Attempting to close the loop are a plethora of reusable and returnable assets including pallets, delivery systems, kegs and intermediate bulk containers (IBCs).
“First and foremost is probably the environmental and sustainability benefits,” says Rex Lowe, president of iGPS Co. LLC, Orlando, Fla. “Reusable packaging, if properly managed, really takes a lot of waste out of the system and, therefore, the environment in that you’re reducing significantly the amount of packaging material that’s involved in transporting product. You’re also reducing significantly the amount of throw-away and the problems that are being created in the landfills where one-way packaging is disposed.”