Published with the support of Package Design Magazine, this is a comprehensive guide to thinking outside the box to create practical, cost-effective, and eco-responsible packaging. With a broad ...
By Wendy Jedlicka and Thomas A. Sandberg
In this ongoing series, we invite designers and manufacturers to tell us a bit about their process, and how solutions come together. Sometimes sustainability concerns are the primary creative driver; sometimes sustainability is just a part of the creative mix. But in any case, each new solution helps move the whole of the industry one step closer to a sustainable future.
This month we will be looking at TOSCA, a company defining its own niche. Founded in 1959, TOSCA provides dedicated closed-loop rental pools of reusable containers. Their services include container rental, system tracking, container repair, reverse logistics support, and washing and sanitation. TOSCA is a member of the Reusable Packaging Association (RPA) and the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP).
One of their most interesting projects is the Savoy (curly leaf) spinach industry. Serving 95% of this segment of the produce market, TOSCA manages logistics, container washing (sanitation), and refurbishment. Going where the product is, they follow the growing season, starting in the Southwest and work their way up the East Coast. To serve their clients well, TOSCA creates custom solutions for each area's or each client's needs, assessing the whole of their supply chain and adjusting systems for best fit.
Though the systems may be fine-tuned to a particular need, container standardization offers opportunities for a variety of cost reductions, with waste being a key area addressed. Reducing waste not only increases profitability, but also makes any industry or effort more sustainable.
Plastic returnable containers (HDPE) had already been used in various applications within the food industry—this was proven technology. The containers commonly used were nestable and collapsible (making for highly efficient use of warehouse space), and very conducive to high-pressure washing. So how did TOSCA get the ball rolling for the spinach industry?
TOSCA wanted to see how they could drive costs out of the supply chain. This meant looking hard at all inputs into the system and where recurring costs showed up—for spinach, this meant bushel baskets. These containers were primarily a "one way" commodity, requiring new (or lightly used) baskets for every trip. In addition, the wood bushel baskets commonly used had issues with "white rust" and contamination, making them unattractive for long-term reuse, even though they were durable enough to make a few return trips.
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