Parcel logistics: the future belongs to reusable plastic boxes

Cardboard dominates parcel logistics. Shrinkage and return transport costs have so far been too big hurdles for reusable containers made of plastic, even though there is a lot to be said for them in terms of sustainability. BOOXit overcomes these hurdles – and adds one on top: the reusable system is not only sustainable, but also robot-compatible.

In an interview with K-MAG, Dr. Peter Entenfellner & Andreas Holzleithner talk about their reusable solution, its advantages for people and the environment and what role plastics will play in the parcel logistics of the future.

How did you come up with the idea for BOOXit?

Andreas Holzleithner & Dr. Peter Entenfellner: The idea came about as part of a joint car racing project by both of us founders, where we ourselves repeatedly had the problem of not finding a suitable plastic box that would work equally well at home in the workshop and on the race track or in the paddock. Our own problems are often the best motivators to rethink things. So, step by step, a new "wonder box" came into being. First the problem was identified in an industrial design project at the University of Linz, then the solution was developed in the start-up.

How does the reusable system work?

Holzleithner & Entenfellner: With BOOXit we have created a fully automatable and digitalised transport box that solves the two core problems of reusable containers:

1. the shrinkage due to the charging of the deposit via the BOOXit app and a digital twin.
2. the return transport costs through full automation and robot-compatibility as well as digitalisation, which not only manages the boxes, but also solves the empty capacity and thus the return transport in a cost-efficient way.

Thus, for the first time, the BOOXit reusable system with completely new possibilities for sorting, picking, loading and stopping can make parcel logistics more cost-effective than carton-based logistics.

What is the box made of? To what extent are plastics particularly suitable for this purpose?

Entenfellner & Holzleithner: There will be boxes made of different plastics: PP, ABS or PA are suitable and can probably best meet the requirements. Since BOOXit boxes are not actually boxes but logistics system components, there are challenges in the area of manufacturing tolerances that go far beyond the requirements for current plastic boxes.

Due to the complex shapes, practically only plastic and plastic compound in injection moulding can be considered as a base material. In our view, no other material can master the many requirements.

What makes your solution more sustainable than others?

Entenfellner & Holzleithner:  In the majority of applications, cardboard is a disposable product, whereas the plastic box made of PP or PA manages more than 100, in many cases even more than 1000 cycles. This saves an enormous amount of energy and thus CO₂. Also decisive are the digital and mechanical possibilities of BOOXit, which enable the sustainable and thus also cost-efficient use of empty capacities for return transport. But sustainability also means making the workplace of parcel drivers more ergonomic. Normally, sustainability costs money, but with BOOXit, parcel logistics not only becomes more sustainable, but also cheaper.

BOOXit is fully robot-compatible. What does that mean?

Entenfellner & Holzleithner: From the very beginning, the automation capability, i.e. the ability to manipulate the box by robots, was decisive in the design of the box and rack. Boxes are not only automated in department stores. In times of labour shortages, the technology in the upstream and downstream logistics processes, and here especially on the last mile, must also be able to relieve workers. This can be achieved with robots.

In your opinion, what will parcel logistics look like in the future? What role do plastics and especially solutions like yours play here?

Entenfellner & Holzleithner: With the new proposal for the EU Packaging Directive, the EU Commission has made a clear commitment not only to recycling but also to reuse in parcel logistics. And when it comes to a combination of recycling and reuse, plastic has a clear advantage, because it is perfectly capable of both.

Parcel logistics of the future will change significantly due to several framework conditions:

• Climate change and the resulting demands for decarbonisation will inevitably lead to reusable packaging, and this is already reflected in legislative proposals such as the EU Packaging Directive.
• Online trade will continue to gain in importance, but will demand lower costs and more protection for the goods from logistics.
• Rising prices for gas and wood will inevitably drive up the price of cardboard, making plastic reusable boxes more attractive in many areas.
• Automated filled pick-up stations will gain in importance over door-to-door delivery.

Reusable technologies like BOOXit, which best meet all these technical, social and economic requirements, will gain in importance in the future – perhaps even faster than many large logistics players can currently imagine. This will open up an enormous market for the plastics industry worldwide.