BOKS: A Waste Free Insulative Packaging Concept to Transport Perishable Goods for Ecommerce

Abstract

The Courier, Express and Parcel market (CEP) in the Netherlands causes 85.000 tons of single use packaging to be turned into waste on a yearly basis (Thuiswinkel.org & Kennis instituut duurzaam verpakken, 2020). This combined with an annual projected growth of 10% in online orders urges society to rethink ecommerce packaging (Topsector Logistiek, 2020). This graduation project is performed for Goodcase. The startup aims to accelerate the shift towards a sustainable diet by offering sustainable foods from Dutch startups directly to the customer. The goal of this project is to find the most sustainable way of transporting perishable goods for Goodcase. BOKS is the frontrunner in a new era of packaging in ecommerce. It is part of a system where material resources are circulating within a closed loop: the circular economy. This paradigm puts emphasis on designing out waste. Switching from single use to reusables fits in this philosophy. This switch is critical to sustainably deal with the resources our planet has to offer. Switching to BOKS prevents the creation of excessive waste and therefore decreases the environmental impact of insulative ecommerce packaging.BOKS is specifically designed to assist webshops transporting perishable goods directly to their customers. These foods need to stay under 5 °C during transport. The optimal configuration of BOKS is designed using a parametric thermodynamic model.The walls of BOKS are filled with a 25 mm organic hemp layer. The insulative principle of hemp is similar to wool; small air pockets in the material prevent heat from transferring through. Due to this insulation layer the products stay cooled consistently for up to 36 Hours. Within this timeframe two delivery moments can be achieved with a success rate of 99.9%. This is what makes BOKS the most reliable way of sending cooled perishable goods!BOKS is designed for contin-use, it should flow from stakeholder to stakeholder. A fast track life cycle analysis model is used to minimize its environmental impact. It could be reused up to 100 times and therefore saves up to 37.1 kg of single use packaging, insulation and buffer materials. The folding mechanism results in a 40% volume reduction which makes BOKS efficient in logistics and more manageable to handle for its users. The CO2 emissions per trip are 68.32% less compared to a single use cardboard box. This in combination with 40% recycled materials in the outer layer, BOKS is a sustainable contender for transporting perishable goods!BOKS flows from Goodcase Packaging to the webshop, where it is subsequently packed and delivered to the logistics party. They deliver it directly to the customer, who returns it at their local supermarket or drop-off point. From there on, the BOKSES are shipped back to Goodcase Packaging in bulk. At Goodcase Packaging they are cleaned and inspected before sending them out for their next loop!BOKS is designed with all aforementioned stakeholders in mind. It was found that a reward program is crucial to incentivise each stakeholder to keep passing BOKS on. This reward program aims to actively involve both the webshop and the customer.BOKS has been tested and proven to perform up to most of the requirements. However, further development is required to make the concept of BOKS ready to be used in the real environment.