If you are working with a contract packaging company, you may need to supply that company with enough products to allow for some waste. It will make room for occasional mechanical issues and human errors.
Many contract packaging companies have to move from a small warehouse to a relatively larger space to sustain the current requirements of their customer base. They may have to travel a distance to move to that new location.
These processes can result in wastes produced by machinery and other material problems. That is why a manufacturing company must provide their contract packaging company with some extra products to compensate for that potential loss.
The most significant waste production happens in the food industry, where packers have to act fast. Sometimes, a hassle can result in an extra amount of product loss. These wastes products then end up in landfills.
Since many people in the world have to sleep hungry, wasting this much food is utterly unacceptable. Despite some significant challenges, it is necessary to work on factors to reduce food wastes.
In this article, we will discuss how to reduce product waste in contract packaging.
Reducing product waste in contract packaging
When you outsource the task of packaging to a contract packaging firm, you have to factor in some waste. The purpose of this anticipation is to fulfill every order without running short on the product.
Many contract packaging companies face the challenge of dealing with the product leftover. In case the product is a food item, the best approach is to give away all that leftover food to charity. Even then, the amount of food is too much to manage. As a result, the excess food expires and the packaging company has to send it to a landfill.
What is the solution?
Eliminating product waste completely is too much to ask from a packaging company. However, there are some ways to reduce that waste significantly.
While working on a solution to reduce wastes, you have to strategize the process of giving those products away before they expire. A sustainable waste management strategy combined with a systematic way to give away products before they expire can help reduce waste quite significantly.
If you are a contract packaging company, the first thing you have to make sure of is to remain in contact with your client. You can ask them if they can take the leftover product back before its expiry. Or, you can ask them if you can donate that entire leftover food to a food bank.
If they agree to take the leftover food back, you will be able to save a significant amount of time and money. Here is how you can go ahead with the process.
- You can inventory any extra product that has not been used to fulfill orders. Make sure that you work on this step as soon as the order is complete.
- You can load that leftover food onto a trailer and send it off to your client. They can then donate the product to a local food bank.
By working on these simple measures, you can prevent product waste significantly. It will also make you a sustainable packaging company.
