24 Feb 2022 - Sustainability

Let’s display the void rate on all our packaging!

Julien FIETTE

ITinSell is campaigning for an eco-responsible transformation of logistics, in particular for the reduction of the carbon footprint and the saving of materials by reducing the void rate in parcels and throughout their routing. Supported by the ADEME (French Environment and Energy Management Agency) in order to bring new solutions to reduce the footprint of E-Logistics on the planet (reduction of the void & circular economy), ITinSell launches an appeal to all actors to act on the void rate, also in primary packaging

The vacuum in the parcels

Have you ever been shocked to receive an oversized package filled with paper, polystyrene or bubble wrap, only to discover a second package inside the box?

This is one of the major challenges of e-logistics and commerce today: an uncontrolled void rate in primary, secondary and tertiary packaging and an excessive use of packaging that has to be produced and then recycled (when possible…).

This is the issue that ITinSell has chosen to address for several years

A project supported by ADEME

The research we have conducted with the support of ADEME since 2019 has highlighted the need to act quickly and strongly on two levels:

– Display the void rate of all products in their primary packaging in the same way as the weight of a product.

– Work with the packaging industry to review the standardized sizes of packaging that are offered to retailers as they generate structural void rates. We are at the disposal of the carton makers to share our first results of our study and to gather all possible actors around the objective of reducing void rate.

A law imposing the obligation to display the void rate

Our objective is to gather all the resources and willpower available to pass a law at French or European level imposing the obligation to display the void rate in primary packaging.

Why?

Studies in recent years have shown the following figures:

– 25% average void in containers (source)

– 45% average void in e-commerce packaging (source)

– 50% average fill rate in trucks (source page 91)

Help us in this process!

The void ratio is simple to calculate and displaying it on the primary packaging of products will encourage all actors to reduce this ratio and thus reduce CO2 emissions and material consumption worldwide.