Last night I was applying brown parcel tape to a really rather worn cardboard box.

I picked up this box from a business selling second hand cardboard boxes for removals a few years ago. From the brand name on the side it was once used for transporting hair care products.

I’ve subsequently used it as part of two house moves, and now I’m repairing and repacking it for another.

While doing that, I noticed a stack of shoe boxes piled up against the wall. My plan is to reuse as many of these as I can, but I realise many just end up being thrown in the trash or civic recycling plants. It made me wonder what it would take for suppliers to also repair and reuse their own packaging.

Then I found this company, Boox.eco, they do just that!

They’ve raised over $11 million to help retailers (and others) create a more sustainable solution for packaging. Their solution hinges on slightly more durable packaging solutions than my battered cardboard box. These come in various sizes of box (and “pockets”) which fold flat and can be returned for sanitisation, refurbishment and reuse.

When a consumer receives their delivery, they scan a QR code which tells them how to return the box – either dropping them back to a local store or in the UK, depositing them at a In Post locker.

By digitising the return path, Boox aim to incentivise a high return rate through future discounts and offers.

The boxes don’t last for ever, but when they reach their end of their usable box life, there’s still life left in them as they get broken down and recycled in to new packaging.

The company’s solution was used in 100,000 US shipments last year, and the company plans to multiply 100x by 2023, reaching 10 million shipments. Yesterday they launched in the UK with an aim to reach 250K UK shipments by the end of the year. If that is a success, their next target is Canada.

#circular #digital #sustainability

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