Lower costs from reduced packaging

Many companies are saving money as a result of reducing packaging waste. The author briefly discusses legislation that has been introduced to reduce packaging waste. The author also discusses two new Good Practice Guides for cost-effective solutions to packaging. The first, GG140, ´Cutting costs and waste considered by reducing packaging use´ is a nontechnical guide that can be used by any company of any size, although it is written particularly for the benefit of small-to-medium sized companies. All secondary packaging (used to group items together until they reach the point of sale) and tertiary packaging (which allows groups to be handled and transported as a manageable unit) is covered, and plenty of cost-saving tips are included that can be put to immediate good effect. The second new Guide, GG141, ´Choosing and managing re-usable transit packaging´ is more technical than the first and is intended for companies that handle a significant amount of packaging. The contents will help them achieve considerable cost savings by redesigning transit packaging for reuse. GG141 will be of benefit to middle managers in medium-to-large companies or directors of smaller companies that are in the supply chain of a large company.