Tosca Partners with Avery Dennison to Reduce Emissions

Tosca has partnered with Avery Dennison, a global materials science company, to support its transition to reusable plastic pallets and reduce CO2 emissions across its European supply chain. By adopting Tosca’s innovative pooling model, the collaboration has delivered significant operational efficiencies while cutting nearly 500 tons of CO2 in just one year. This partnership highlights Tosca’s sustainable packaging solutions which drive supply chain efficiency while reducing environmental impact.

The Challenge: Scalable, Sustainable Solutions

Tosca were pleased to support Avery Dennison in their pursuit of a scalable, efficient solution to meet the growing demand for plastic pallets, while aligning with their strong commitment to sustainability. This includes their goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Avery Dennison recognised the need to optimise operations due to increasing demand for wooden pallets, especially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. By partnering with Tosca, a leader in sustainable packaging and supply chain solutions, they found the solution.

Reusable Plastic Pallets

Tosca has provided the solution to Avery Dennison’s challenge with its durable, reusable L1 plastic pallets, designed to enhance efficiency, reduce waste, and minimise environmental impact. Initially, Avery Dennison aimed to replace their own pallets with a more efficient solution to meet growing demand. This quickly expanded to switching much of their supply chain to Tosca’s plastic pallets.

A key challenge has been convincing Avery Dennison’s customers to accept goods on plastic pallets, as more participation would optimise logistics and enhance sustainability. Both sales teams worked together to demonstrate the operational and environmental benefits of this choice. The official partnership began in 2022, and Tosca’s plastic pallets are now used in 13 Avery Dennison factories and distribution centres, shipping to over 400 customer locations across Europe.

Operational Benefits and Sustainability Gains

The partnership between Tosca and Avery Dennison enhanced efficiency and scalability by supporting the growing demand for plastic pallets, addressing availability issues and providing a more cost effective, reliable alternative to wooden pallets post Covid-19. In addition, Tosca’s reusable plastic pallets offer cleaner, more hygienic solutions for their warehouses. These improvements align with the company’s goal of enhancing operational efficiency while reducing its carbon footprint.

In 2023, 40% of Avery Dennison’s Euro-sized pallets had been converted to plastic, and the company already achieved nearly 500 tonnes of CO2 emissions saved annually — exceeding initial estimates.

Due to the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), Avery Dennison is rethinking their transport and sales packaging, which increasingly focuses on reuse and circularity. “Our focus is on the recyclability and circularity of our packaging. By partnering with Tosca, we are moving in the right direction,” said Violeta Gómez Valdivieso, Central Packaging Leader at Avery Dennison. “For example, the PPWR requires that at least 40% of transport or sales packaging be reusable by 2030, and Tosca’s plastic pallets meet these requirements.”

A Strong Sustainability Partnership

Looking ahead, Avery Dennison plans to continue to transition to plastic pallets, with Tosca’s pooling system playing a critical role in achieving both greater efficiency and sustainability in their supply chain. The possibility to use the already integrated RFID tags on Tosca’s plastic pallets for tracking opens improved traceability capabilities and streamlined order management, bringing even greater potential operational benefits in the future.

“At Tosca, we work side by side with our customers in long-term partnerships, and our successful collaboration with Avery Dennison is the perfect example of this. Both companies strongly believe in the concept of continuing the loop,” said Felix Van Ouytsel, Sales Director UK/Ireland at Tosca. The partnership between Tosca and Avery Dennison shows how collaboration can drive significant sustainability advancements, setting a benchmark for the industry.

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Food Manufacturer Transforms their Pallet Management

Chelmer Foods, a leading supplier of dried fruits, nuts, seeds, and pulses for industries including cereal manufacturing, bakeries, snack foods, and food service suppliers, has partnered with Tosca to streamline its pallet management operations. By switching to Tosca’s pooled plastic pallets, Chelmer Foods significantly reduced complexity, achieved quality consistency, and bolstered customer satisfaction.

Addressing Operational Challenges with Innovative Pallet Management

Due to its business growth, Chelmer Foods faced mounting challenges associated with managing thousands of pallets across four internal locations. With a global sourcing network spanning over 20 countries, Chelmer Foods was managing around 6,000 second-hand plastic pallets, whose inconsistent quality led to ongoing issues with durability and reliability, creating operational inefficiencies. Breakages and repairs not only took up valuable resources but also impacted customer satisfaction. Additionally, Chelmer Foods needed a reliable, efficient solution to meet its customers’ fast-growing demand for food-grade plastic pallets.

Chelmer Foods recognised that a more sustainable, efficient approach was essential to meeting both operational needs and customer expectations. Simon Heather, Director at Chelmer Foods, reflects on their initial situation and the search for a dependable partner: “Since the initial discussions with Tosca began, the process has been extremely straightforward and has genuinely reduced the noise surrounding plastic pallets & associated issues.”

Tosca’s Solution: Reliable, Cost-Effective, and Customer-Centric

Chelmer Foods switched to Tosca’s MP3/DIC 1210 pooled reusable plastic pallets, immediately experiencing the benefits of this solution. Tosca’s food-grade MP3/DIC 1210 pallets offered consistently high quality, immediately eliminating the issue of broken pallets that had previously complicated Chelmer Foods’ operations. The seamless transition not only improved customer satisfaction but also built on existing relationships, as many of Chelmer Foods’ customers were already familiar with Tosca’s reliable service.

Tosca’s pooling system also relieved Chelmer Foods of the burdens associated with pallet maintenance, repairs, and logistics. No longer needing to worry about pallet tracking or breakages, Chelmer Foods was able to refocus efforts on its core business. With Tosca handling all aspects of pallet management, the efficiency gains also extended to significant savings, as the time and effort Chelmer Foods previously spent on pallet repairs and collections were drastically reduced.

The switch to Tosca’s pooled reusable plastic pallets enabled Chelmer Foods to meet the growing demand for plastic pallets and strengthened its customer relationships, as well as improving supply chain reliability. Additionally, Tosca’s established connections with many of Chelmer Foods’ customers, ensured a seamless and trusted process.

Simon Heather, Director at Chelmer Foods, is impressed with the smooth transition to Tosca’s solution: “Tosca’s pre-existing relationships with our customers have certainly made for a smooth transition, and it has gone exactly as planned.”

Collaborating for a Sustainable and Forward-Looking Supply Chain

Looking ahead, Chelmer Foods is actively collaborating with Tosca on several initiatives supporting its efficiency and sustainability goals. The two companies are exploring the potential use of Tosca pallets for inbound overseas deliveries, an initiative that would further streamline the supply chain. Chelmer Foods is also considering the introduction of Tosca’s foldable bins, aligning with industry trends that increasingly favour plastic for regulatory compliance.

Heather speaks to the value of Tosca’s adaptability and long-term collaboration, sharing, “Looking forward is always slightly tricky with demand from our customers ever-changing, but in Tosca, I know that we have a partner that is flexible and has a willingness to try to solve those demands alongside us.”

Through its partnership with Tosca, Chelmer Foods has redefined its pallet management approach, achieving operational efficiencies, enhancing customer satisfaction, and embracing a sustainable future. This successful collaboration showcases how a tailored, high-quality pooling solution can address complex supply chain needs, empowering businesses to meet evolving market demands while reducing operational burdens.

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Operations Expanded with Service Centre in Ingolstadt

Tosca, a global supplier of reusable packaging solutions, has opened a new, state-of-the-art service centre in Ingolstadt, Germany. This downstream-focused facility, equipped with solar panels for sustainable energy usage and advanced technology capabilities, is designed to support Germany’s largest retailers with efficient, data-driven services.

Solutions purpose-built to unlock value across the supply chain

Tosca’s expert, custom-fit reusable packaging and pooling solutions unlock value and sustainability at every step of its customers’ supply chain. With the largest selection of 100% recyclable, reusable plastic packaging in the market and in-house R&D capabilities, it offers solutions purpose-built to eliminate food, labour, and transportation waste while upholding high-quality standards, safeguarding against product damage and contamination. It manages its customers’ logistics seamlessly, streamlining their supply chain, simplifying maintenance, optimising space and enhancing efficiency.

The company’s commitment to sustainable business practices, ethical and social responsibility has been recognised with the prestigious EcoVadis Gold Award for its sustainability initiatives in Europe and the UK. The award places Tosca in the top 5% of companies assessed, solidifying its position as a sustainability leader.

“We’re excited to unveil our newest service centre in Ingolstadt, a testament to our ongoing commitment to delivering exceptional service and value to our customers,” said Marco Gonzalez, Managing Director for Central Europe at Tosca. “This expansion highlights our ability to adapt quickly to market demands, as well and our dedication to growth in reusable plastic packaging solutions across Europe.”

Close to the customer with an extensive service centre footprint

The opening of the Ingolstadt service centre marks a significant expansion of Tosca’s footprint in Europe. With a total area of approximately 2,700 m², the centre is strategically positioned to cater to the growing demand for Tosca’s innovative reusable plastic products and pooling services in the region. With the addition of the Ingolstadt centre, Tosca currently operates 43 service centres across Europe.

Driven by the increasing business in plastic half pallet operations, the decision to establish the Ingolstadt centre underscores Tosca’s dedication to supporting its downstream customers across Europe. By optimising operations and reducing transport costs, the new centre will enhance efficiency while facilitating further growth in the region. Importantly, the centre is positioned to serve Tosca’s largest downstream customer in Central Europe and one of its key suppliers.

Notably, Tosca achieved an impressive lead time of just four months from the start of site search to operational readiness, showcasing the company’s agility and collaborative working across all departments.

Advanced technologies for operational excellence

Ingolstadt is equipped with advanced technologies, including RFID gates, scanning equipment, and automation systems. These innovations ensure optimal data accuracy and provide customers with deep insights into their supply chain performance, underscoring Tosca’s commitment to future-proofing supply chains. This technology enables Tosca to increase the efficiency and accuracy of their customers’ supply chains, driving growth, operational excellence and sustainability.

In August/September, Tosca will install a fully automated wash line at their site, including a conveyor reader on the wash line to automatically update asset status and monitor performance. These investments highlight Tosca’s commitment to enhancing operational efficiency and providing their customers with superior supply chain solutions.

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