The Reusable Packaging Association (RPA) has announced the winner of the 2019 Excellence in Reusable Packaging award program: The Kroger Company with reusable packaging supplier Polymer Logistics. The Kroger Company won for their 2018 commercial pilot of Polymer Logistics’ Cleanpal® pallet for the distribution of fresh eggs to Kroger stores. According to Kroger, the design reduces its distribution costs by up to 66 percent and removes 6,500 tons of CO2 emissions from the retailer’s egg supply chain.
The Cleanpal pallet is said to be much lighter than traditional pallets, promising greater efficiency, reduced transport costs, and an interlocking design for nestable stacking in storage and transit.
“Kroger is committed to Zero Hunger-Zero Waste in everything we touch,” said Joe O’Connor, Supply Chain Process Change Manager at Kroger. “And this goal has led our drive to expand packaging reuse solutions with pallets and RPCs. The CleanPal pallet and the partnership with Polymer Logistics was a significant leap in our work up and down the supply chain for food to establish a balanced model to benefit our stores, DCs and customers.”
“The Cleanpal pallet is a breakthrough in supermarket distribution platforms,” said Paul Pederson of Polymer Logistics. “Our focus is to help retailers delight their shoppers with high-impact product presentation and efficient supply chain packaging systems. The Cleanpal pallet combined with RPCs delivers on this goal. We thank Kroger for leading the Cleanpal pallet’s commercial introduction and congratulate them on winning the reusable packaging industry’s most prestigious award.”
“We’re thrilled with this year’s entries to the Excellence in Reusable Packaging Award program,” said Tim Debus, President & CEO of the Reusable Packaging Association. “The submissions received were packed with innovative product designs, reuse approaches and commercial execution. Our panel of judges determined that Kroger’s use of the Polymer Logistics Cleanpal pallet presented the most compelling case for both economic and environmental savings. We look forward to honoring their work as this year’s Excellence Award winner.”
Kroger and Polymer Logistics will present their award-winning entry at the RPA Reusable Packaging Learning Center (Upper South Hall #7900) at Pack Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center at 3:00 pm PT on Tuesday, September 24, 2019.
For more information:
Hillary Femal
Reusable Packaging Association
Ph: +1 (813) 992-1470
hfemal@reusables.org
www.reusables.org