Packaging and the Supply Chain: A Look at Transportation

Abstract

And Man created the plastic bag and the tin and aluminum can and the cellophane wrapper and the paper plate, and this was good because Man could then take his automobile and buy all his food in one place and He could save that which was good to eat in the refrigerator and throw away that which had no further use. And soon the earth was covered with plastic bags and aluminum cans and paper plates and disposable bottles and there was nowhere to sit down or walk, and Man shook his head and cried: 'Look at this Godawful mess. Art Buchwald, 1970 AbstractIn the interest of sustainability, many manufacturers have taken steps to analyze the key components of their products and processes across the span of their supply chain. Product packaging-which is an especially pervasive component, spanning across the supply chain of nearly all products-has garnered particular interest in discussions of sustainability. Packaging is not only associated with its own sourcing impacts but also influences the impacts of the product, especially in terms of the shipping impacts of the product. Several organizations have developed tools and guidelines to help manufacturers make greener packaging choices in terms of packaging. Pallet utilization is one practice for improving packaging that has been put forth in these publications and is one of the few practices that consider the impacts of packaging, not only in the context of its own supply chain but also as a component of a product. This study discusses the practice of pallet utilization and identifies the cases in which it would serve as potentially beneficial. These considerations are currently lacking in the recommendations for the adoption of pallet utilization. In addition, an overview of the current methodologies used