AUTOMATION: SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING “Producers are more frequently using materials that are biodegradable, compostable, recycled and reusable,” agrees Jon White, UK managing director at international shipping and logistics firm InXpress. “The use of plant-based plastics from sources such as algae, sugarcane, hemp, used cooking oil and even mushrooms is expected to rise as companies look deeper into their use.” Poly products have been particularly popular thanks to their affordability, although they have faced criticism for their environmental impact. Although they may not vanish completely, efforts are underway to give them a sustainability upgrade by increasing the amount of recycled materials in their production. WHEN YOU USE THE SAME TYPE OF PAPER IN 10 PARCELS ALL IN A ROW, THE EQUIPMENT CANNOT ‘SEE’ THEM” Bjarne Johansen, Beumer Group BELOW: Austrian Post offers the Post Loop reusable packaging service Challenges for automated sorters Although it is great for the environment, sustainable packaging is giving some courier, express and parcel services operators quite a headache. This is because recycled plastics and other sustainable materials can be difficult for some existing automated sorting systems to handle efficiently. German logistical systems manufacturer Beumer Group notes that this is because some of the new materials can affect the shape, form, friction level and stability of a parcel. This can cause sorting challenges for current systems and lead to inefficiencies, delays and higher sorting costs. Austrian Post “Paper bags or more solid paper envelopes can be a little unstable. Depending on the type of paper used, the packaging is sometimes sprayed with a water-resistant coating. This can present challenges with stability and friction on sorting systems, making some items non-conveyable,” explains Bjarne Johansen, senior system manager at Beumer Group. Sending multiple items in one package is more efficient and eco-friendly for e-commerce companies, but can cause similar problems for automated sorters if the items are sent in flexible packaging that changes shape during transportation. Then there are the companies replacing packaging with shrink-wrapping, which leads to more uneven, oddly shaped items on conveyor belts. These non-standard, changeable shapes, along with certain types of material, can also diminish machine readability, reducing a system’s ability to do its job without human intervention. “This was a bit of a surprise to some people,” says Johansen. “Identification cameras often use contrast between the conveyor belt and the parcel to differentiate between parcels, but when REUSABLE SOLUTION Posts and parcel carriers are looking into different ways to support the use of sustainable packaging. One idea that has been introduced by several organizations is reusable packaging. Austrian Post, for example, introduced Post Loop last year – a standardized service for reusable packaging. Once an order arrives, the customer simply takes the empty packaging to a designated return point, scans the barcode on the tab and hands in the packaging. It’s then cleaned, picked and put back into the cycle and can be reused 30 times. “Post Loop parcels and bags are available in several sizes and are made from wood fiber and recycled PET,” says Markus Leitgeb, a spokesperson for Austrian Post. “Thanks to sustainable production and professional recycling, the packaging produces fewer emissions than comparable disposable cardboard boxes from the second use onward, and each additional dispatch saves additional CO 2 emissions and raw materials.” In Germany, DPD ran its second trial of reusable packaging last July, this time with startup Hey Circle and clothing manufacturer Trigema. The parcel delivery firm is testing the success of using reusable boxes between its headquarters and test stores. This follows an April 2023 trial with Boomerang, in which the startup’s packs and boxes were successfully tested in the systems and sorting facilities at DPD Depot 120 in Hamburg. “We were delighted to contribute our know-how to this innovation ecosystem,” says Michael Knaupe, DPD’s chief customer experience and business development officer. “Because one thing is clear: we believe in a nationwide reusable concept in e-commerce.” 28 www.ParcelandPostalTechnologyInternational.com March 2024