Surplus packaging material is an inevitable part of the packaging process, but scrapping it would be a mistake. Excess packaging materials can be reused for reasons of profitability and environmental protection, to which Nordtek Re-Packaging offers a state-of-the-art solution. With the company’s help, surplus meets demand in a way that is profitable for the partners and society as the greenest packaging solution.

Waste minimisation

The minimisation of waste created during the production process should be a priority to all companies, since this also means cost effectiveness. But sometimes the accumulation of surplus packaging material cannot be avioded; in this case the manufacturer needs to handle this surplus.

Numerous studies have shown that from an environmental point of view the way the manufacturer handles surplus minimised waste is extremely significant. The worst method of handling waste is disposal. This should be avoided at all times, not only because of legal issues but also because it involves extra costs and is harmful to the environment. Somewhat better are energy recovery - the use of the energy in the packaging - and recycling the different materials of the packaging. Currently this is the most widely accepted solution and waste management companies are hired to recycle the surplus packaging.

Recycling, however, can often be substituted for a waste management process that is higher in the hierarchy, namely by reusing. Reusing means that the waste material is reused for its original purpose without transforming it.

Trading packaging waste

Excess packaging waste is a lifelike example of why companies should not be satisfied by waste management methods in the lower part of the hierarchy if the waste can be reused by others without modifications. According to Büchl Hungária - a company that prepares waste to be recycled - a significant proportion of the waste managed by them (i.e. metal and plastic containers, plastic and cardboard cases) could be easily reused. Currently, the company forwards this packaging waste to waste management companies for recycling and energy recovery.

Besides profitability, a manufacturer also needs to consider its social responsibility and issues of conservation. Manufacturers should not view their excess packaging materials as waste if these can still be reused, since greener consumers as well as business partners require companies to act in an environmentally proactive fashion.

Henkel Hungary realised this and decided to take steps toward handling the little surplus packaging that is the byproduct of strict waste minimisation manufacturing processes not as waste but in a more environmentally friendly way. In cooperation with Nordtek Imexco, the company now sells this surplus packaging as reusable packaging material, thus creating value for itself, it’s partners, the environment and society.

Re-Packaging by Nordtek

Realising that the handling of reusable surplus packaging material is a problem for many manufacturers and end-product manufacturers, Nordtek Imexco acts as a link between international partners with excess packaging waste and companies that seek cheeper packaging solutions.

For successful implementation, the manufacturer with the surplus has to be connected to the partner that is in need of its surplus packaging, and Nordtek Imexco is the perfect link. The company has been a distributor of packaging solutions, packaging materials and consumer packaging for 14 years. Their online trading system, All In Packaging, available at www.allinpackaging.eu enables the real-time display of products on stock, and the company’s wide net of business partners guarantees that the supply of surplus packaging materials meets the demand.

The All In Packaging system is vital for the effective operation of the Re-Packaging service (more information on www.reuse-packaging.com. The system makes excess packaging material globally visible and searchable, this way potential buyers can easily learn of previously hidden supplies.