WarehousingIreland.ie – Schoeller Allibert shares its “3-fold approach” to closing the loop in food processing

Schoeller Allibert shares its “3-fold approach” to closing the loop in food processing

Jul 25, 2021 Warehousing Ireland e-commerce, Main, Materials Handling, News, Warehousing Comments Off on Schoeller Allibert shares its “3-fold approach” to closing the loop in food processing

Schoeller Allibert, a leading UK manufacturer and supplier of returnable and recyclable plastic packaging solutions to the food processing sector, has shared insight on how it believes the supply chain will adapt towards circular economies, with a focus on systems that eliminate waste and embrace the use of sustainable materials and energy.

The business has spoken about its vision for a more sustainable and secure food manufacturing supply chain, which begins with closing the loop in intralogistics packaging. Schoeller Allibert believes that creating a more robust circular economy in supply chain logistics – a priority for the food industry – can be made simple with a trio of considerations.

Nick James, Sales Director at Schoeller Allibert UK, comments: “It’s no secret that the food processing sector is under increased pressure, needing to juggle many different operational priorities, all while protecting the important bottom line. As well as security, volume, speed and the reduction of headcount, one of the most significant requirements lies in developing a more sustainable food manufacturing supply chain. For many, the challenge is in switching to greener technology and closing the plastic loop, which without the right support, can be time and resource intensive. Because of this, the sector errs towards slower step changes – evolution, rather than revolution.

“To play our part in building a more fundamentally secure and responsible food processing supply chain, we have three core actions. These are:

Using appropriate recycled materials in our containers (particularly crucial ahead of incoming plastic tax regulations)
Making our product solutions 100% recyclable
Creating a simple and direct route for recovery with inhouse recycling of broken or excess containers – nothing going to waste

“By putting these three considerations at the front of everything we do, we’re directly speaking to the needs of food processors in today’s rapidly shifting market conditions and simplifying what can be complex. Sustainability shouldn’t be difficult or resource-heavy – that’s why we work so hard to take away traditional pressure points for food manufacturers and their intralogistics partners.”

In addition to sharing its insights, Schoeller Allibert UK has recently formed a dedicated taskforce designed to support its customers in shoring up their long-term sustainability strategies by implementing durable and recoverable alternatives to traditional solutions.

Nick concluded: “Working with food manufacturers of every size and structure, we have a unique perspective and see a threefold approach being the most effective way to create a circular economy in the sector. It’s this that guides how we operate and develop our offer, from IBCs and bulk containers, through to handheld containers, dollies and beyond.

“The food processing sector is rightly concerned with waste – be that food, time, costs or resources. However, there are great efficiency and sustainability gains to be made in logistics. A closed loop supply chain is often seen as the ‘holy grail’ for boosting sustainable performance and, in reality, it’s a lot closer than we might think. With our three-fold approach of using recyclate, making our solutions fully recyclable, and then fully recoverable, Schoeller Allibert is ideally placed to support the industry to move forward.”