Product quality

Store and transport of flowerbulbs and perennials take place under temperature controlled conditions. The function of this crate is mainly  that the products stay comfortably in it. Flowerbulbs and perennials are starting material intended for the cultivation of  cutflowers or potted plants. The climate around the bulb or the young plant also determines the quality of the end product. Not only the temperature is of great infuence, the ethylene in the ambient air must also be removed through effective ventilation. Utilysys® folding crates have excellent air permeability. The bottom and the sidewalls are constructed in such a way that the open area is very large.

To prevent physical damage to products, the surfaces have been smoothened everywhere. Furthermore an upper edge has been added that functions as a guide channel. As a result, a full crate easily slides on the crate below during stacking, so that damage caused by going askew is prevented.

The Utilysys® folding crate is equipped with label holders for applying the accompanying product information. Optionally, a barcode can be molded in, making crates recognizable for automated systems. Applying RFID is also an option. This gives users maximum possibilities to integrate the crates into their own logistics system. And the customer can rely on the products being delivered in accordance with expectations.

Lifespan

Utilysys® crates are strong enough to stack on pallets for storage and transport of products under temperature controlled conditions. Perfectly suitable for transporting all types of flowerbulbs and perennials. The bottom and side walls have high air permeability. Load-bearing elements are reinforced for robustness. The patented lift-lock system has been incorporated into this crate in order to be able to fold the crate smoothly and open and close it easily. The edges are smooth, making it easy to stack.

To be able to continue using the crates for a long time and without any problems, a number of tips for use have been included in the manual. It is important that the crates are loaded with care on stable pallets on a straight surface, so that the weight of the load is well distributed. The use of a lashing strap is recommended during transport, provided that it is applied correctly. The use of chemicals is not recommended because it can cause the crate to become dull or discoloured.

Circulation

In the linear economy, a crate filled with flowerbulbs or perennials travels to the customer to end up with the waste afterwards. To prevent this, the cutflower and potted plant growers offer the used crates for sale after planting. Because the market for used crates has slowly but surely become saturated, customers have a large stock of second hand crates. These go to landfill or are being ground to plastic granules as raw material for recycled plastic. There is a beter alternative.

Sometimes the rigid (non-collapsible) crates are taken back by the supplier. In that case, considerable savings can be realized with Utilysys® folding crates during the return transport of empty crates. This requires only 20% of the original volume.

Reuse is higher on the sustainability ladder than recycling. Utilysys® folding crates require only 20% of the volume when folded, making return transport of crates to the supplier viable. This relieves the customers waste management. Returning crates requires a careful administration. Supplier and customer can arrange this in consultation. Utilysys Foundation offers a helping hand in this by offering the ‘model rules’ for return packaging. This contains the rules that the supplier and the buyer can establish together. These model rules are intended as a guideline, which users can adjust at their own discretion. Read more about this on out News page.

Low costs

With Utilysys® folding crates, environmental benefits and financial benefits go hand in hand. For companies that reuse their crates, the annual purchase of new crates is superfluous. That is the major part of the cost savings. Add to that the fact that the customer no longer has any costs of waste. Last but not least, the benefit of a lower storage volume of folding crates also counts. This can have a positive effect on the logistics flow on the work floor.

In a logistics system with return packaging, there are also costs of return transport, cleaning and storage. Also consider a small percentage of scrap due to damaging the crate. How these costs are to be calculated is different in every business situation. For companies considering a  switch to reusable packaging, the Utilysys Foundation offers a calculation model that can be downloaded elsewhere on this site. This model can serve as a guide.

Multi-use crates last longer. The difference between the purchase + waste phase of single-use crates on the one hand and the return costs of reusable crates on the other is the annual return on investment. In current practice, the Utilysys® folding crates are earned back long before the technical lifespan ends. This is good financial news for supplier and buyer, that calls for making agreements about this together.

Footprint

Reuse is a profitable strategy for achieving sustainability objectives. Producing flowerbulbs eco-friendly is paramount naturally, but switching to sustainable packaging will certainly be obvious as well and relatively easy to implement.

The use of plastic packaging is an emotionally charged topic. Governments are taking measures to reduce single-use plastic. In the minds of many, plastic is linked to pollution of the environment. However, plastic crates rarely end up in the sea.

Production

The use of plastic transport packaging (single-use or multiple use) has an impact on climate change. Plastic crates are made by injection molding of HDPE. The raw material consists of pellets from recycling, which are liquefied by heating upto 130 °C . The liquid material is injected into the mold under high pressure and then cooled until the plastic solidifies. This process requires a lot of energy (+ emissions) and water, which is used as sustainably as possible by the manufacturer. The plastic product that results from this is robust and durable and can be used for a long time. So far, single-use and multiple-use plastic crates are equivalent in their environmental impact. Then the differences arise.

Environmental impact in the supply chain

Folding crates are transported to the packing location in 20% of the transport volume. There they are filled like other crates and sent to their destination. In the subsequent journey, the crates do not come from the factory but are reused after return transport and cleaning. This also requires energy (+ emissions) and water. Recycling of plastic is unnecessary for as long as possible. On balance, this reuse yields a considerable saving in energy, emissions and water compared to recycling disposable plastic crates. After many years of use, a high-quality recyclate remains, while the raw material would have degenerated if the crates would have been used once and then recycled year after year.

Waste prevention

In the waste hierarchy of plastic Reuse has priority over Recycling. Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle prevent crates from ending up in waste prematurely for landfill or incineration. The chance that crates unintentionally end up in waste is much smaller within a returnable crates system, because returning empty crates means receipt of the depostit. The crate-owner is well prepared to sort out plastic crates that have become unusable after a service period and dispose of them through a recycling company.