Case Study: Whitecroft Lighting reduces annual packaging use by 80%

Whitecroft Lighting, a specialist in commercial and industrial lighting solutions, approached GWP Correx® to help improve the sustainability of its packaging. Using a significant volume of single-trip packaging each year, GWP worked closely with Whitecroft to develop several Correx® boxes with inserts that are reusable over many trips.

Besides reducing the environmental impact of their operations, the new packs also helped Whitecroft Lighting achieve improved transport and packing efficiency, reduced transit damage, and lower costs.

Whitecroft Lighting prides itself on the environmentally friendly solutions that it offers to its customers. However, they identified an area of their own business where they felt they could improve their sustainability – their packaging.

The company was using single-trip corrugated packaging to ship products to its customers. Whilst this transit packaging generally provided the required protection, end users would simply discard it after unpacking.

This use of single-trip packaging also meant the business used around 40,000 boxes each year, which, aside from the environmental impact, also had cost implications.

Another challenge was that their existing packaging—a basic pallet box—did not allow them to stack the products efficiently. This increased the potential for damage (as the pack did not separate products during shipping) whilst simultaneously lowering the efficiency of their deliveries. The latter point, a result of transporting empty space within the outer container, also impacted costs and increased the associated CO2 emissions from their shipping.

Ashley Langridge, Marketing & Product Project Manager, kicked off an internal project at Whitecroft Lighting to address these issues. One of his first actions was to reach out to GWP Correx® to see if we could help.

Following several initial meetings with GWP Correx® General Manager Emily Parker and Senior Designer Steve Mann, they quickly identified that Correx would be an ideal solution for this challenge.

Working closely with Whitecroft, Steve also identified a requirement to ship a wide range of products, varying in size and weight, within a single shipment. The types and quantities of products required for each consignment would vary widely by customer.

As a result, Steve designed several compatible Correx® boxes, along with adjustable Correx® divider sets that packing staff could use to both segment and stack products during transit, with the addition of layer pads. GWP created 11 different-sized boxes in total.

Steve also drew on his experience with Correx® to ensure the boxes and divider sets were collapsible, enabling efficient return transit for the empty packs.

Following approval of the conceptual designs, GWP supplied Whitecroft Lighting with several pre-production samples for transit trials. The designs were refined based on the results before the final boxes and dividers were manufactured in-house at GWP’s Wiltshire production facility.

The returnable Correx® boxes that GWP designed and manufactured for Whitecroft Lighting provided several tangible benefits.

Firstly, it allowed them to reduce the number of boxes they use from around 40,000 to 5,000 – a decrease of over 80%. However, as the lifespan of the reusable boxes is well in excess of 18 months, the actual reduction is likely to be greater still. The environmental impact of this reduction in material and energy use (associated with manufacturing and recycling) is also significant. Any stats here?

Secondly, whilst the upfront cost of the returnable packaging was higher than that of the corrugated equivalents, its reusability and longevity resulted in a significant cost saving in the first year.

Thirdly, the internal dividers improved packing efficiency, with boxes around 20% quicker to pack. The better use of space within the outer containers, created with dividers and layer pads and aided by the custom sizes of the Correx® boxes, also improved transport efficiency by around a third. This also resulted in a decrease in CO2 emissions from transport.

Finally, the improved packing of items within the pack, plus the durability of the material, has virtually eliminated the potential for items becoming damaged in transit, reducing the admin and hassle of returns, replacements and on-site delays.

Ashley Langridge, Marketing & Product Project Manager at Whitecroft Lighting, commented:

It was great working with GWP on this project. Steve, Emily, and the rest of the team were incredibly helpful, took the time to understand our business, and the outcome ticked all the boxes we were looking for when we started considering switching from a single-trip to a returnable solution.

Craig Cawley, Senior Buyer at Whitecroft Lighting, added:

The new Correx packs have streamlined our packaging ordering process, reduced our costs, and are better for our customers. This is, of course, in addition to the significant environmental benefits, which were the key rationale and driver of the project. We’re very pleased with the service and products that GWP have provided.

Many businesses view easily recyclable but single-use packaging, such as corrugated boxes, as a better option than plastics, even when the latter is reusable over 100s of trips. But this is frequently not the case, with the project Whitecroft Lighting initiated proving that returnable packaging can have significant environmental and business benefits.

If you would like to discuss the potential for your business to switch to returnable packaging, are interested in bespoke Correx® boxes, or simply want advice on improving the sustainability of your packaging, we’d be delighted to help. Please contact a member of our team today.