In a bid to become more efficient and sustainable, Kaufland has standardised its packaging for fruit and vegetable logistics across Europe.
Since 2003, Kaufland has been working with Euro Pool System, a provider of reusable trays for fresh and packaged goods, in its German operations. Between 2014 and 2015, this cooperation was extended to the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia.
Now, since the end of 2018, Euro Pool's returnable trays have become the standard packaging for Kaufland throughout Europe. The two companies are also working together in Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria.
Progress Through Reusable Packaging
"Through the use of Euro Pool System reusable packaging, Kaufland reduced its CO2 emissions by around 35,000 tonnes per year in 2018", says Stefan Lukes, head of international purchasing, fruit and vegetables, at Kaufland.
Using Euro Pool System, the fresh produce remains in the crates for transport from the producer, to the distribution centre, to the store. Packaging damage is avoided and valuable resources are conserved at the same time.
Circular Economy
With Euro Pool System, empty and cleaned reusable trays are delivered to producers, and these remain in the supply chain until they are presented in-store.
After use, Euro Pool System collects the empty crates from Kaufland distribution centres and delivers them to their service centres, where they are cleaned and reintroduced into the logistics cycle.
The return process has been simplified with the introduction of Smart Return Logistics, which includes handing returnable packaging over to Euro Pool System unsorted.
To ensure a transparent return chain, all reusable boxes are additionally equipped with a QR code.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Jana Zimmermann. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
