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MENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY »
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Packaging Reduction for Shippers
A Glance at Clean Freight Strategies
The major retailer
Wal-Mart realized big
benefits when it took
another look at product
packaging. The manufac-
turer of its private label
wine bottle reduced the
amount of glass used in
the bottle by reconfig-
uring the design. A few
simple changes reduced
packaging weight by 8
million pounds, carbon
dioxide by about 3,4OO
tons and took 28O trucks
off the road. With all
these changes, the
retailer was also able to
reduce the price of the
wine by 20 cents per
bottle.1
Packages are defined as delivery parcels (envelopes or boxes) used by carriers or
product containers (boxes, cases or pallets) used by shippers. Packaging strate-
gies, such as lightweighting and reconfiguration, can reduce package weight or
increase the product-to-package ratio, resulting in more products per truck and
fewer miles driven system-wide.
What is the Challenge?
Companies committed to sustainability recognize that minimizing packaging is a crucial part of
their efforts, yet they want to understand how to balance the costs of using renewable materials,
more recycled content, or less material overall2 with the logistics benefits of smaller, denser, less
frequent or fuller loads.
As a shipper, one way to offset investments in packaging reduction is to consider the positive
impact it can have on your supply chain. There are benefits to reducing packaging weight and
space: the more products you load into each container, the fewer trucks you'll need, which
reduces logistics costs and the carbon footprint of your supply chain.
What is the Solution?
Packaging can be made more sustainable by applying the principles of product stewardship.3
One example is Intermediate Bulk Containers (totes for bulk fluids known as IBCs),
which are cube-shaped and fit on a standard pallet, providing for a more efficient
use of space. By replacing standard cylindrical drums with 315-gallon collapsible,
reusable IBCs, you can transport up to 2.4 times as much material per truckload,
assuming vehicle weight limits are not reached. In this way 24 truckloads could be
reduced to as few as ten.4
Other strategies include:
Use less material: Material reduction will decrease cargo weight and may also allow for
denser product packing, using available space more efficiently. Steps to eliminate unnecessary
packaging can include:
• Reducing or eliminating the use of pallets
• Using polywrap or shrinkwrap to reduce packaging size
• Packaging items in bags instead of boxes
• Reducing the thickness of packaging walls, increasing rigidity by
using stronger, but lighter materials or changing shapes
• Redesigning packaging and even the products to fit more
items into one package
• Eliminating unnecessary tertiary packaging and layers
such as bags within bags
Eliminate shipping unnecessary items: Make product
documentation available electronically and ask consumers to "opt-in"
for additional items, such as cables or power cords, because they may
not need them.
Continued
U.S. EPA SmartWay | EPA-420-F-16-008 | www.epa.gov/smartway
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SmartWay*
MENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY »
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Packaging Reduction for Shippers
A Glance at Clean Freight Strategies continued
Costs
The costs associated with packaging design include
researching new materials, redesigning the size and shape of
packaging, modifying packaging and handling equipment,
if necessary, and prototype/field testing of new designs and
materials. These costs will vary depending on the scope of
your business and can be significant.
Savings and Benefits
Packaging reduction can lower your carbon footprint due
to incremental savings accrued through lighter loads and/
or higher product-to-package ratios which reduce the total
number of trucks required to ship the same amount of
product. Additionally, reducing packaging can also help
increase customer satisfaction. Excessive packaging is a
common customer complaint.5 Following are three case
studies that illustrate the benefits of reducing packaging:
Use less packaging material: In 2009, Fetzer Vineyards,
one of the country's largest wineries reduced the weight of its
bottles from 20.3 oz. to 1 7 oz. on average without reducing
product volume. The new bottles are made from 35 percent
post-consumer recycled glass and reduce glass usage by 1 6
percent. The change reduced supply chain GHG emissions
associated with glass bottles by 14 percent.6
Hewlett-Packard, a multinational information technology
corporation reduced the volume of packaging for its laptops
resulting in 97 percent less material used. This enabled the
company to fit three laptops per box to ship to stores instead
of one. As a result the amount of product that could fit on
each pallet increased 31 percent.7
Higher product-to-package ratios: The global retailer
IKEA reduced the amount of air and unused space in its
packaging for tea candles and increased the number of 100-
pack candles that can fit on a standard pallet by more than 40
percent. The result was fewer truck trips, which yielded a 21
percent carbon reduction. The new packaging also increased
efficiency by allowing for faster unpacking in stores.8
Eliminate unnecessary items: The major electronics
manufacturer Cisco eliminated paper documentation and
user guides from its product packaging for a telephone. This
change allowed three units to fit into the shipping space
previously occupied by two, saving $1.3 million and 954,000
pounds of freight shipped annually.9
NI=XT ST =PS
1 Conduct a packaging
audit. Work with your
suppliers and manufac-
turers to reduce product
packaging size and weight,
fit more products into
current packaging, change
the product shape itself for
more efficient shipping,
and avoid using higher-
rated packaging than is
necessary to protect your
products.
Work with carriers and
others in the supply
2
chain to determine the
most efficient loading
configurations for their
vehicles.
3Educate customers
about how to handle
weight and space-saving
packaging such as interme-
diate bulk containers.
Explain the financial
benefits of this packaging
such as the avoidance of
disposal costs and reduced
storage requirements.
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