Just picture it: you’re walking the aisles of Whole Foods Market… How many natural and organic foods are touting green packaging? A lot, right?
That’s the new trend (and thank goodness for it!): biodegradable, recyclable, and green packaging.
But retail products are not the only category looking for green packaging options.
Procurement managers in the industrial manufacturing realm are also looking for ways to increase their positive impact -- both on their community and the world. If you don’t care about doing good, chances are that your customers do.
Whether green buying is a part of your business strategy or if it's simply a PR exercise, we have the tips you need to make the switch to greener, more environmentally-friendly packaging options for industrial healthy oil ingredients.
A note to buyers: The options below are for industrial buyers of 55 gallon drum packaging or larger. We’ll present these green options in the order of good, better, best for the environment as compared to the industry standard of drums and totes.
Good: Bag in a Box Totes
Bag in a box totes are a great alternative to the industry standard of IBC plastic totes or steel drums. These bag in box totes (sometimes called BIB totes by the Centra Foods gang) are made from thick, multi-layer cardboard and are recyclable.
The tote is a large box that’s sometimes square and sometimes octagonal and has a removable lid on top. The dispensing valve is located at the bottom of the tote, and we recommend using an attachable spout/hose to get the oil out. If you want to learn more about how to get the oil out, you can read more about the dispensing attachment or watch a video to see how it's used.
The bag inside is filled with oil when it delivers to you. When the oil is completely used, the bag can be disposed of and the tote can be broken down and recycled.
These totes come in both 275 and 330 gallon sizes and can be stacked between 1 and 3 high, depending on which size and type you get (for example, the 330 gallon square totes can be stacked 2 high, the 275 gallon square totes can be stacked 3 high, while the 275 gallon octagonal totes can only be stacked 1 high). A note from our warehouse-- we recoemmend putting a slab of plywood in between each tote to evenly distribute the weight.
Bag in a box totes are a very simple switch from IBC totes or drums. They earn the “good” spot on our list because, while they’re really easy to switch to and they use recyclable material, they still use paper resources to produce and are for one-time-use only.
Better: Returnable Totes
If you’re interested in not just recycling, but actually reducing the amount of waste that you're producing, this option will kick it up a notch for you. This program allows you to not dispose of the packaging that you're using, but rather, re-use it again!
These returnable totes are available as a full delivered program, where totes are filled and shipped to you. You use the oil from them and once they’re empty, you ship the empty packaging back to your supplier to be refilled.
These totes are made up of a collapsible frame with a strong woven-poly outer layer and an inner food-safe bag that the oil is stored in. This tote holds 320 gallons of oil, and it is filled by your supplier before each delivery to you. Once the oil is used in your facility, the bag is removed, and the walls of the tote can be folded down to create a small compact platform. These collapsed totes can be stacked 13 high on a pallet, and the single pallet is picked up by supplier to return to their facility.
These totes can be stacked 5 high. They dispense in the same way that the bag in a box tote does, using an attachable valve and hose dispenser.
The returnable tote is available as a delivered program for customers that use enough oil. The reason there are volume minimums is that to make a delivery and return trip worthwhile, you have to be using enough to be able to ship a lot of oil at one time and consolidate the return shipment of empty totes.
If you use about 1 truckload (20 pallets) per month, this program is a great option.
Best: In-House Storage Tanks
If you want to eliminate the need for packaging completely, consider having your oil delivered in a flexitank or tanker truck and pumped directly into storage tanks in your facility.
Keep in mind, this option requires considerable oil usage (we recommend over 250,000 pounds per year of each oil type). Each oil delivery comes in a 6,000 gallon tank truck that can be pumped into a 6,000-10,000 gallon storage tank on-site at your facility.
If you already have these storage tanks set up at your facility, this is a great option. If you don’t, you’ll need to do a full cost analysis before considering the switch. These tanks typically cost about $30,000 each to purchase and install, and they require plumbing to tie the tank into your current production line.
This option doesn’t just reduce the amount of packaging you’re using -- it also saves a lot of money. Going with the bulk tank truck delivery over drums or totes can save you about $0.10 per pound on the oil.
If you’re looking at this option closely, set up a consult to discuss all your options. Centra Foods also offers on-site consultations to help your team purchase the right tank, set it up properly and train your team.
What’s your favorite way to buy your industrial ingredients in green packaging? Tell us in the comments below.
Topics: Food Manufacturing, Packaging
