Eco-friendly e-commerce mailing bags launched

The rapid growth of e-commerce has caused an inevitable soar in demand for easy returns. By reusing the original packaging, the environmental impact of a return is reduced by a minimum of half; Kite Packaging has launched sustainable kraft mailing bags to diminish this impact even further.

These packages are manufactured from FSC certified kraft which is sustainably sourced and grants the mailers superior strength to other papers. A heavy-duty material is essential for an item designed for reuse by a customer, though brown kraft is also 100% recyclable to ensure responsible disposal. This is guaranteed to significantly reduce a company’s carbon footprint while enhancing their green credentials.

The expandable gusseted sides offer extra capacity to fit a considerable range of different products while arriving flat-packed for convenient storage. To allow for effortless packing and returns, Kite’s product features a double peel and seal strip: one for securing an order to be delivered and the second should the goods need to be returned. The perforated easy tear opening provides excellent user satisfaction at the unboxing stage that is continued until the end of the transaction with this intuitive design.

Encourage consumers to shop with confidence, reassured by a user-friendly returns process that promotes repeat sales and all round positive transactions.

 

 

 

3T wraps up new contract with PFF Group

Leicester-based 3T Logistics and Technology Group has recently been selected by one of the UK’s leading food packaging manufacturers to streamline its customer deliveries and help reduce the company’s carbon footprint.

Food packaging manufacturer PFF Group has recently invested in a new transport management system to supply packaging products to supermarkets and food manufacturers across the UK. With increasing changes to its logistics needs due to the continuing pandemic, PFF Group selected 3T as the ideal partner to help it fulfil its growing supply chain requirements.

PFF Group currently also manufactures disposable PPE aprons which are despatched from the company’s Washington site to Department of Health and Social Care depots and distributed for use by NHS frontline health and social care workers. This will be an important element of the new transport management system which is based on and delivered by 3T Logistics and Technology Group’s cloud-based software.

3T has a proven track record and enviable reputation in the logistics sector for its supply chain and transport management solutions. PFF Group will benefit from this expertise through the platform’s capability to consolidate loads and optimise vehicle usage, thereby reduce journeys and lower carbon emissions.

Lee Wilkinson, group supply chain manager (pictured, left, with Dan Mahan, transport planner) at PFF, said: “We work with a pool of hauliers and the software enables us to select the best carriers for locations where we can do multiple drop deliveries. By making sure we have filled the vehicles, we are reducing costs and the environmental impact as the amount of carbon per pallet delivered is reduced. The new system also tracks delivery lorries to ensure they arrive on time and manages proof of delivery. This means we are improving service to customers who are increasingly seeking suppliers with reduced carbon usage.”

Rob Hutton, sales and marketing director at 3T Logistics and Technology Group, believes the new partnership with PFF Group will see a reduction not only in costs for PFF Group but also in its environmental impact.

“We see the introduction of our TMS solution as a critical step in PFF’s digital transformation. PFF has a vision of reducing carbon footprint and with our transport management system, we will automate and optimise PFF’s transport operations, giving the firm full control of its transport management and bringing greater levels of transparency and visibility.

“The collaboration between 3T and PFF showcases two fast-growing British businesses with a global outlook that are using technology to drive efficiency and innovation. We look forward to working with PFF and providing the logistics solutions it needs to scale their business and further accelerate growth.”

3T is working with a number of high-profile companies across industry verticals, which value a logistics partner that can help them achieve their service, cost and environmental targets whilst digitising their supply chain.

Oslo brewery uses cardboard beer carriers

The new WaveGrip Cardboard Carrier from Berry Global has been selected by Oslo-based Amundsen Brewery, the second-largest craft brewery in Norway and one of the fastest-growing in the country, to provide a ring carrier solution for its range of beer cans.

The WaveGrip carrier has been developed in line with Berry Global’s Impact 2025 sustainability strategy, which aims to work with customers to help meet and exceed their sustainability goals. Each carrier weighs just 7.95g for a standard six-pack and is recyclable in most paper and board waste collection streams. Despite its light weight, it is strong and easy to use, while delivering excellent pack retention.

“Customers are becoming more vocal and involved in the sustainability discussion. They have strong opinions and as a producer we have to listen to these opinions,” explained Geoffrey Jansen van Vuuren, CEO Amundsen Brewery.

“Sustainability and recyclability were therefore key factors when we were looking for our new ring carrier and WaveGrip offered the perfect solution.”

The WaveGrip carrier features a unique, patent pending design that means it does not require folding or manipulation during application. This allows continuous running at high speeds, meeting both the performance and production needs of the most demanding canning lines.

The white fully-coated topside offers high quality printability in up to 10 colours, allowing brand messages and promotions to be easily included for enhanced shelf impact. In addition, the naturally brown reverse opens-up to offer a multitude of further design possibilities and enable direct communication with customers.

Amundsen offers eight core beers year-round and produces between 50-80 seasonal specials a year. The brewery exports to 20 different countries with Sweden and the United Kingdom being its biggest markets.

Freightliner secures duel-fuel project funding

Freightliner, in partnership with a consortium of specialist suppliers, has been successful in securing government funding to develop a dual-fuel solution for the Class 66 locomotive.

The technology is one of the 30 winners of the latest round of the First of a Kind (FOAK) competition announced by the Transport Secretary. Already the safest and greenest mode of ground-freight transportation, the competition has been aimed at making the railways even cleaner, greener and more passenger friendly.

This is the first time that this technology, which is widely used in the road industry, will be applied to the rail freight sector on such an important and widely used class of locomotive. Work commenced on 1st July and will take place over a nine-month period.

The key project partners are Freightliner, which operates over 113 Class-66s in the UK, and Clean Air Power, a provider of innovative clean air solutions for freight. The project is also supported by Network Rail, Tarmac, Rail Safety Standards Board (RSSB), Flogas, Carrickarory and the University of Birmingham.

The project will investigate the ability to substitute diesel with both hydrogen and biogas on the Class-66 locomotive which hauls over 80% of freight on the UK rail network and, in doing so, reduce carbon emissions on one of the industry’s most challenging two-stroke locomotives.  This will be achieved by retrofitting the Class 66 with Clean Air Power’s precision injection technology, creating a Class 66 that can run on a combination of diesel, biogas and hydrogen.

This sustainable solution will support a programme to decarbonise freight operating companies’ diesel fleets in a cost-efficient manner that does not require significant short-term investment and facilitates operational learning in support of a longer-term fleet replacement programme, potentially using 100% hydrogen fuel.

Exhaust emissions will be assessed in line with the latest RSSB guidance to understand both the baseline conditions and the impact of dual-fuelling for both hydrogen and biogas. Emissions and substitution data is a key output of this project and will be available to RSSB.

All work on locomotives, static testing and emission data collection will be carried out at Freightliner’s vehicle maintenance facility in Leeds, supported by Carrickarory Consultancy and in consultation with RSSB.

Freightliner is excited to be a key partner in this pioneering decarbonisation project,” said Freightliner UK Rail Managing Director Tim Shakerley. “As the largest freight operator of electric traction, we already have a number of environmentally motivated initiatives underway and are delighted to be working with Clean Air Power and other partners on this additional government-funded project.  With decarbonisation high on the agenda, these initiatives will further support the government’s pledge to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.”

Dan Skelton, Managing Director of Clean Air Power, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Freightliner and other partners on this project. All parties are focussed on delivering a fully functioning low-carbon, low-emission, hydrogen-friendly Class 66 locomotive.

“Our solution offers a route to viable, long-term decarbonisation and its associated cost benefits, which will be practical to implement and scale. With the know-how and expertise, we share, we’re looking forward to this new and exciting initiative making a real difference.”

FedEx joins Capital Equipment Coalition

FedEx Express Europe has become the newest member of the Capital Equipment Coalition (CEC) in Europe.

Led by not-for-profit organisation Circle Economy, in close collaboration with the Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (PACE), the Capital Equipment Coalition (CEC) engages leading businesses from multiple industries involved in the servicing, manufacturing, or operating of durable goods known as “capital equipment.”  FedEx Express Europe joins nine coalition members, each putting forward a pledge to increase circularity in relation to their own supply or use of capital equipment.

A global transportation provider, FedEx Express Europe sorts over two million packages per day in its three air hubs and 34 road hubs in Europe – each making use of high-value technical equipment. Large equipment such as sortation machines, conveyor rollers, weight check and x-ray equipment, and caster decks used in operational facilities, in addition to smaller handheld devices couriers take with them on the road are all included in scope of the commitment.

David Canavan, COO, FedEx Express Europe said: “As FedEx embarks on a journey towards its goal to achieve carbon neutral operations by 2040, building circular practises into our sourcing and procurement processes will help to reduce the impact of our operations. Our participation in the Capital Equipment Coalition allows us to engage in shared-value learning experience with other industries and helps us work with suppliers to put sustainability front of mind when we source equipment, whether at size or at scale.”

FedEx Express Europe’s pledge aims to reduce the use of raw materials, while also seeking to extend the lifespan of the capital equipment it procures. This builds on existing sustainability considerations to include specifying the use of durable materials and, where possible, favouring a modular design that allows for easier extensions, upgrades, and repairs.

Tamara Veldboer, lead facilitator of CEC in Europe said: “We’re delighted to welcome FedEx Express Europe as the newest member of the Capital Equipment Coalition. FedEx Express Europe brings the perspective of an organisation that sources and procures capital equipment, with the ambition of engaging its suppliers in very practical and scalable ways.”

In joining the coalition, FedEx Express Europe commits to adopting a ‘continuous improvement’ approach, working with suppliers of equipment large and small, to set ambitious sustainability specifications that both minimise the material footprint and extend the lifecycle of equipment it procures. In addition to encouraging use of recycled and recyclable materials in capital equipment, FedEx Express Europe also seeks to formalise end-of-use plans with its suppliers – whether through responsible disposal, repurposing, or recycling of the equipment.

BioLNG production project at French port

EveRé, operator of the multi-process household waste treatment plant commissioned by Métropole Aix-Marseille-Provence, the CMA CGM Group, a world leader in shipping and logistics, Elengy, a subsidiary of Engie, operating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals at Fos-sur-Mer and TotalEnergies, a global multi-energy company that produces and supplies energy, have joined forces to study the feasibility of creating France’s first production unit for liquefied biomethane (BioLNG), a low-carbon alternative fuel dedicated to energy transition in the shipping industry.

Produced by converting the biodegradable part of household waste from the Marseille Provence region, BioLNG would allow for the decarbonization of shipping services departing from the Grand Port Maritime in Marseille and would be used primarily for the CMA CGM Group’s LNG-powered vessels.

The project forms a circular economic system. Using the area’s household waste will help reduce local air pollutants (nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides and fine particles), improving air quality and quality of life for people living in the region and supporting the energy transition in the shipping industry.

A concrete commitment to energy transition in shipping

BioLNG, combined with the dual-fuel gas engine technology developed by CMA CGM, reduces greenhouse gas emissions (including carbon dioxide) by at least 67% relative to well-to-wake VLSFO (the complete value chain). On the basis of a tank-to-wake measurement (at vessel level), greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by 88%.

Liquefied natural gas allows for a 99% reduction in sulphur oxide emissions, a 91% reduction in fine particles emissions and a 92% reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions. By the end of 2024, 44 of the CMA CGM Group’s vessels will be powered by LNG.

A project integrated into the local ecosystem

The project fits perfectly into the local ecosystem, benefiting from the particularly well-suited and already existing infrastructure at the Grand Port Maritime, including EveRé’s waste methanization unit, Elengy’s LNG terminals, which will be used for the storage and delivery of the BioLNG, TotalEnergies’ bunker vessel, which will be located at the port as of January 2022, and CMA CGM’s fleet of LNG-powered vessels. The feasibility study has been launched within the framework of this large-scale project, which corresponds with the national drive to promote BioLNG as defined in France’s Mobility Orientation Law.

CMA CGM, Engie and TotalEnergies: three corporations committed to supporting sustainable mobility

The CMA CGM Group, Engie and TotalEnergies have already been working together for several months as part of the Coalition for the Energy of the Future, which aims to step up the pace of development of future energy sources and technologies and to support new sustainable mobility models, thereby reducing the environmental impact of transportation and logistics.

In order to make true technological revolutions possible and achieve tangible results by 2030, the Coalition has set three main targets:

  • to considerably increase clean energy supply sources;
  • to reduce energy consumption per equivalent kilometer transported;
  • to reduce the proportion of emissions attributable to transportation and logistics.

Miralis and partners win smart-charging bid

Miralis Data, a transport-focused software and data science company, has secured funding to extend its electric vehicle fleet smart charging research.

This Innovate UK-funded grant will enable Miralis, and project partners Envisij and Mina, to move their smart EV charging from feasibility to testing on real fleets with and tackle emerging challenges.

The government through its Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) is leading the drive to address challenges associated with the transition to zero emission vehicles including the adoption by company fleets. This project, named FCSC or Fleet Connected Smart Charging, will produce a solution that enables fleets and their host sites to transition to electric vehicles quicker and more efficiently.

Will Maden, Research Director at Miralis, explains more about the need for the project: “One of the biggest crunch points for larger fleets transitioning to electric vehicles will be managing the supply of electricity. Most fleet managers will face challenges including how much charge different vehicles require, whilst trying to balance the most cost effective way to charge, and ensuring that site capacity is not compromised.”

The project will balance the expected charge needed for a varied fleet with the site’s electricity capacity. Energy management company Envisij will be partnering with Miralis to report real-time and projected site power capacity and site demand to Fuuse/Miralis. Miralis will devise a smart charging solution to optimise the remaining capacity, charging vehicles within cost and capacity parameters.

Committed to making paying for EV charging simple, EV payments startup Mina, will be focusing on home charging for fleets within the project, allowing the smart charging solution to be applied where fleets charge vehicles at employees’ homes.  Mina’s Fleet Charging solution already allows employees to charge at home, fleet managers receive one single invoice each month that captures both home and public charging together for their entire fleet. Within the FCSC project, they will begin testing the benefits of smart charging fleet vehicles at employees homes for the first time.

“The results of our partnership with Envisij and Mina on this project could be a real accelerator for the electrification of fleets,” added Maden. “We’re excited to break down the barriers to transition and make EV charging more accessible, cost-effective and easier to deliver.”

The project is set to kick off in August 2021 with a solution expected in spring 2022.

similar news

Miralis secures funding for on-the-move HGV charging

 

Ignoring corporate sustainability “not an option”

Any logistics services provider or online fulfilment company that is perceived to be merely paying lip service to ‘green’ issues or is inactive when it comes to corporate sustainability strategy, not only risks seriously undermining its own brand and reputation – but also those of its clients.

That is the warning from Paul Mulcahy, Toyota Material Handling UK’s Quality, Health and Safety and Environment (QHSE) manager.

“There was a time when it was dismissed by sections of the business community as ‘just another fad,’ but corporate sustainability is now seen as deeply intrinsic to the success of any modern company,” says Mulcahy.

He continues: “Sustainable practices have emerged as a strategic imperative and many companies – particularly retailers and online traders – are using sustainability to increase customer loyalty.

“Consumers increasingly show a preference for brands and products with authentic sustainability stories. As a result, today’s multi-channel retailers need to be able to demonstrate a genuine commitment to sustainable goals and they expect their logistics services providers or online fulfilment partners to be in a position to do the same.

“Of course, this is having a knock-on effect on materials handling equipment (MHE) companies too, because logistics and fulfilment operations obviously prefer to work with suppliers of forklift trucks and other types of MHE that are as serious as they are about sustainability – and not just treating the issue as another marketing veneer.

“For example it would be difficult for Toyota to provide forklift fleets to the UK’s biggest supermarket retailers or an organisation such as Amazon, if we didn’t have robust sustainability strategies in place.

“Companies only want to deal with businesses that share their values and this attitude is passing down through the supply chain. Ultimately, everyone – from the biggest retailer or manufacturer to their smallest supplier – will have to focus on its responsibility to operate sustainably.”

More than just ‘green’

Contrary to popular belief, there is more to a corporate sustainability strategy than simply being ‘green’, as Mulcahy explains.

“Ask a room full of people from the business community what ‘corporate sustainability’ means to them and the chances are most will immediately mention environmental issues. But environmentalism isn’t the whole story.

“When adopting a corporate sustainability strategy, businesses also have to consider their social, economic and cultural impact. In other words, a sustainable company will engage in business practices that are good for people as well as the environment.”

Sustainability has been high on Toyota’s agenda for many years and every 12 months, Toyota Material Handling UK undergoes an assessment by EcoVadis, the leading sustainability rating company. The assessment focuses on the company’s commitment not only to the environment, but also to labour issues and human rights, sustainable procurement and ethics.

In November 2020 Toyota was granted an EcoVadis Platinum award. The highest possible score, the award ranks the company within the top 1% of the 61,000+ organisations around the world that undergo the EcoVadis programme.

“Receiving an EcoVadis Platinum award enables us to build trust with our customers, suppliers and other stakeholders, and encourages all of us within Toyota Material Handling UK to continue integrating sustainability into the way that we work,” says Mulcahy.

As part of its ongoing commitment to seek out new sustainable initiatives, Toyota Material Handling UK has recently established a sustainability group comprising team members with widely varying roles from across the company. The group’s job is to identify ways that Toyota can contribute more to society and its local communities.

“Adopting even seemingly insignificant sustainable practices can have a major impact in the long term, so nothing will be overlooked. After all, it is said that If every office worker in the UK used one less staple a day, 120 tonnes of steel would be saved in a single year!” adds Mulcahy.

NHS Trust pilots Thames riverboat delivery service

Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust has become the first in the country to pilot a daily riverboat delivery service as part of its plan to reduce its carbon footprint. The Trust has teamed up with CEVA Logistics and Livett’s Group to trial the service on the River Thames.

If the proof-of-concept pilot is successful, the service will operate on a larger scale, removing trucks from the UK capital’s roads, while providing a reliable delivery route into London during the day. The Trust’s three delivery trucks currently travel around 1,500 miles per week. For each truck removed from the road, approximately 708 kg of CO2 could be saved per week.

The project will help Guy’s and St Thomas’ work towards its aim of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2030, and it supports the Mayor of London’s aim to reduce the number of lorries and vans entering central London in the morning peak by 10% by 2026.

The three-month pilot launches on Clean Air Day on Thursday 17th June 2021. Earlier this month Guy’s and St Thomas’ unveiled its sustainability strategy which sets out a clear path towards more sustainable healthcare for the next 10 years. The pilot is just one of the initiatives that the Trust has introduced to help reduce its carbon footprint and to become more sustainable.

In 2019, the Trust worked with CEVA Logistics to open a consolidation supply chain hub in Dartford close to the M25, which has reduced the number of daily truck deliveries onto the hospital sites by 90%. The Trust is also planning to introduce a fleet of three large electric trucks to deliver consolidated deliveries from the supply chain hub.

This initiative followed the switch to cargo bikes when transporting blood and tumours for testing between Guy’s Hospital and St Thomas’ Hospital, which replaced vans and motorbikes.

David Lawson, Chief Procurement Officer at Guy’s and St Thomas’, said: “The riverboat pilot forms a key part in our ambition to remove over 40,000 truck deliveries from central London roads each year. We also want to encourage and support other organisations to adopt the use of zero emission delivery models to improve air quality for the communities that we serve.”

Chris Walton, Managing Director, UK and Ireland, at CEVA Logistics, said: “The riverboat trial firmly supports our commitment to sustainable and ethical supply chains.  As part of what we call responsive logistics, we constantly look for smart, alternative solutions to improve our carbon footprint and reduce noise and air pollution, specifically when operating in urban areas. As part of our global FORPATIENTS strategy for healthcare customers, we offer flexible end-to-end logistics solutions that place the patient at the centre of the supply chain.”

Edward Livett, Director of Livett’s Group, said: “We are very excited and proud to be a part of this trial as it is a clear example of positive use of the River Thames, something we are constantly striving for. Livett’s specialise in river logistics and as a Group have assets from Putney down to Gravesend which we are confident will help make this trial an absolute success. We look forward to helping freight back onto the river and proving it to be an environmentally sustainable and safe solution.”

Stuart Godman, CEO at Absolutely, said: “We are proud to have been chosen as the final mile delivery partner. As a business, we want to build on our ambition to be a true ambassador for carbon neutrality. Significant partnerships, like this, provide the opportunity to utilise our expanding fleet of electric cargo vehicles and allow us to continue to provide an excellent service in a more sustainable way across London.”

James Trimmer, planning & environment director at the Port of London Authority, said: “This innovative scheme is another great example of the river’s potential as a green superhighway. It’s a win-win situation; the tidal Thames can help rebuild the economy post the pandemic and both reduce carbon emissions and air pollution in the capital.”

Kite Packaging extends its hivewrap range

In addition to its original natural brown colour option, hivewrap from Kite Packaging is now available in a bright, modern white tone.

Hivewrap is the environmental innovation providing an alternative to bubble wrap, supplying superior flexibility, space-saving expandability and 100% recyclability. Comprised of honeycomb-inspired hexagonal cells, the clever construction requires neither glue nor tape to adhere, simply interlocking into itself for a secure fit.

Available with a specially designed dispenser, hivewrap enhances the speed, effectivity and green credentials of an entire enterprise.

Plastic-free and fully biodegradable, this wrap has traditionally only been available in a natural kraft shade to reflect these values of sustainability. However, the brand-new crisp white radiates a sense of purity, cleanliness and is perfectly suited to packaging luxurious premium products such as cosmetics, homeware or glassware.

The extremely flexible hive construction gives an intricate yet elegant appeal to the snow-white paper, cultivating a unique customer experience that goes above expectations. Match perfectly with Kite’s selection of pristine white postal boxes.

Sustainable paper wrap is also an incredibly economic investment when compared to bubble wrap. Using the same amount of both products to wrap the same volume of items equates to a 35% cost saving and 20x less space required in a warehouse. When considering storage and logistics, this degree of space conservation can directly translate to more potential for custom and growth for a business.

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