Technology tackles theft of transit packaging

Allied Bakeries is addressing the growing problem of transit packaging theft and loss with plastics recycler Luxus.

According to the bakery alliance Bakers Basco, which was established to tackle this issue, the theft of bread baskets and dollies has been a problem for many years. Replacement rates range between 40% and 100%.

Allied Bakeries is trialling the use of an additive within plastic bread baskets, which it hopes will act as a deterrent.

The bakery's supply chain director Jacquie Cahill says: "Baskets are used throughout our supply chain and we incur enormous costs in replacing those that go missing."

The new additives will be used to manufacture traceable bread baskets that are easier to detect and less desirable to secondary materials markets.

Luxus sales manager James Ballantyne says: "It had become increasingly apparent that, despite our efforts to reduce carbon and save cost for bakeries by re-engineering their old bread baskets to re-enter their supply chains, that the major cost to bakers was still replacing lost or stolen baskets."

"We aim to address the 'three Cs': carbon, cost and crime."

Contact: Luxus