Reduce packaging waste on your construction site

At first glance you may not believe that eliminating packaging on your site is possible. However, once you understand the practical steps your business can take, you should soon be able to start making cost savings.

Steps to eliminate construction packaging

You can eliminate packaging in a number of ways. One of the most effective is to reduce unnecessary layers. These include:

• collation trays plus their shrink-wrap
• inner bags for carton board boxes with laminates
• packaging layers designed to protect the product from moisture or dust, where this is not an issue for the particular product
• layers within the packaging of standard electrical accessories

Other techniques you can use to eliminate packaging waste include:

• reducing the use of tapes and other adhesives in favour of interlocking tabs
• using in-mould embossing on products to remove the need for labels
• printing any instructions about the product on the box to avoid the need for a separate leaflet
• using plastic reusable boxes that you can return to the supplier when empty
• ensuring items such as sand and aggregate are delivered in bulk and not in multiple polypropylene bags
• investigating the use of silos on site to store products such as cement
• having any furniture delivered to site with only corner protection

Generally, you will need to work in partnership with your suppliers to eliminate packaging waste. However, each party should be able to benefit from cost savings and using resources more efficiently - see supply chain efficiency and environmental impact.