A difference equivalent to the weight of a five-cent coin may seem small, but it results in not negligible results for the global business.
You know that popular expression "grain by grain, the chicken fills the chat"? For the American agribusiness giant Bunge is learning that from “grass to gram” — from plastic — it is possible to reap great results. The company launched in the Brazilian market a new packing with 4 grams (g) less plastic in the composition.
New package
Available for Soya and Primor soy oil brands, the new packaging has gone from 18g to 14g in weight. At the tip of the pencil, the packaging lost 3g and the cap lost 1g. The difference, which is equivalent to the weight of a five-cent coin, may seem small, but it results in not negligible results for a business of continental dimensions.
By using less raw material, Bunge will save about 2,5 tons of polyethylene plastic per year, which is equivalent to 60 million two-liter soda bottles. Less raw material in the manufacture of bottles equates to lower packaging costs, but for “strategic reasons”, the company does not disclose the financial returns on its investments.
To achieve this reduction in the use of plastic, over two years, the multinational invested R$ 100 million together with its suppliers in the development of technologies for filling and reformulation of caps and bottles.
Technology
“The main obstacle was to develop a bottle that would not have its handling harmed by the weight reduction, in addition to looking for machines that could help us implement the technology in our units. Numerous tests were carried out until we reached the final product. EXAM Paulo Silvério, director of supplies at Bunge in South America.
The new packaging, which is already on supermarket shelves, also optimizes the logistics chain. “Gains in logistics reach an 18% reduction in the number of trips to transport the same demand for caps and preforms from suppliers to Bunge units, which also represents approximately 17,5% less CO² emission equivalent”, estimates the executive.
new brands
Initially implemented in Brazil, which concentrates the company's largest operation, the changes in the filling will soon be “exported” to European countries where Bunge operates. New brands will also enter the wheel. “We will start the Salad packaging at the beginning of 2020. In this way, we will have the entire portfolio of oils with the 14g packaging in the first quarter of next year”, adds Silvério.
Currently, 91% of packages produced by Bunge still contain 15g. The forecast is that all will weigh 14g by the 1st quarter of 2020.
As part of its sustainability strategy, since 2006 Bunge has also had the Soya Recicla oil voluntary collection program. In 12 years, the program has collected and recycled more than 5,3 million liters of oil, most of which is destined for the production of biodiesel.
Recycling
And more than 4 million packages of oil were recycled, which corresponds to more than 80 tons of plastic. Currently, the company is reformulating the program to more efficiently serve consumers looking to deliver oil for recycling. For this, it will review its collection points (there are more than 1500 in 100 cities) and the logistics involved.
Source: https://exame.com/marketing/embalagem-com-4g-a-menos-de-plastico-faz-toda-a-diferenca-para-a-bunge/
Leave a Comment