The main reasons given were visual attractiveness and product freshness, because RPCs protect fresh products much better during shipping than disposable packaging and provide a hygienic and consistent display which allows focus on the product, not the shipping container.
IFCO Systems will be presenting the Green Plus series Box, an RPC developed specifically for the fruit and vegetable sector at this year's Freshmarket to be held in Warsaw, Poland on 23 September.
The Green Plus boxes are compatible with all standard pallets and 10 different RPC types have been developed specifically for fruit and vegetables. The system is reusable, 100% recyclable and, most importantly, there is zero waste at the food retailer site. Along with being sustainable, a recent Fraunhofer study concluded that it was also cost effective, with up to 23% overall cost saving by using the system.
According to Mateusz Góra, from IFCO Polska, pricing is still a major factor for Polish companies when choosing which packaging to use, although this does seem to have been changing in recent years.
"From our observations and experience, we can say that costs still influence packaging decisions in Poland, but the impact is much less than five years ago. Today the quality of the product is playing an increasingly important role in packaging decisions. Customers are more aware when making purchasing decisions and often put more emphasis on the quality of products and sustainability than on the price. This is the reason, why plastic and especially reusable packaging solutions are becoming more and more popular, including in this part of Europe." Góra informed us.
"Packaging pooling solutions, which is our main service, is still a relatively new trend on the Polish market, but it’s developing and growing fast."
For more information:
Mateusz Góra
IFCO Systems Poland Sp. Z o.o.
P: +48 5399 70580
F: +49 89 744 767 908
Email: info.at@ifco.com
www.ifco.com/ee/pl