Revolutionising bulk packaging

Looking to create a bulk packaging solution that offered the benefits of FIBCs (flexible intermediate bulk containers) and IBCs (intermediate bulk containers), South African business Alpal asked – why not combine the two?

So they did.

The result is its re-useable packaging solution that affords manufacturers the same ‘stackability’ benefits of IBCs, whilst still optimising warehouse and transportation space.

The best of both worlds

The container is essentially a 2-in-1 pallet and box solution. The polypropylene pallet base supports vertical galvanised steel struts on which a ringbeam secures. A bulk bag is subsequently housed in this frame.

According to its chief innovation officer Bianca Robinson, its design means it can be stacked upon much higher than traditional IBCs, letting manufacturers make use of otherwise wasted warehousing space.

Offering a comparison, Robinson said: “These [traditional] corrugated boxes can be stacked two, maybe three high. Alpals can be stacked six high.”​

“Corrugated boxes can’t be stacked too high, so you end up with all this wasted ‘roof’ space. If demand increases, food producers have to rely on third parties to store their product or, in the long run, opt for racking to better utilise their warehouse space. Both these options come at an extra cost.”​

This not only saves warehousing space due to its stackability, but it also saves transport space, as the entire unit is collapsible and can be flat packed for optimal ‘empty’ storage. So, whereas it may take two lorries to ship contents over, it may only take one to return them.

Their reusability is another key part of the design. As Robinson explained, unlike some containers, Alpals can also be used for several years (between 5 and 10) depending on their application.

“You get very cheap corrugated boxes that you can get a single use from. For higher end ones, you’ll be able to use them two, maybe three times if you’re lucky. ​

"If they get damp, mishandled or over-used, the packaging integrity is compromised. This can cause collapses.” ​

The elimination of wooden pallets is another added advantage, Robinson informed. This is because these kinds of pallets carry the risk of contaminating product through, for example, infestation, wood chips or splinters. Broken or damaged pallets also increase injury risk to workers.

Wooden pallets also warrant fumigation certification because pests can be attracted to this material, Robinson noted.

In comparison, she described Alpals as “impermeable”,​ able to be cleaned simply “with a high-pressure hose”. ​

Turning waste into storage

While Alpals are reuseable for several years and 100% recyclable, the company wants to go a step further and introduce a fully circular system. It is looking to make it from 100% recycled plastic content and is exploring the option of using polypropylene waste from a local factory.

Moreover, the business is investigating ways it can integrate its customers’ waste into its solution too. With the advent of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), Alpal sees its customers needing to collect the waste created by their products.

“We want to use the recycled content that our customers collect through EPR in producing their pallets. So, in effect, customers are then using their own waste to store and transport their products.” ​

Whilst the business is keen to initiate this, such a solution will take time as there’s food safety considerations to be taken on board, as well as logistics and expense to contemplate.

“You need to ensure the exact post-consumer waste is returned to the correct producer and that that producer waste is put into that producer's specific Alpal units. And that's complex.” ​

Attitudes towards packaging are evolving

Although it brings new challenges, Robinson welcomes recent and future progression in packaging policy, such as the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWR). She recalls that, at the beginning, whilst everyone said ‘how great Alpal was’, it was difficult to convince businesses to sign on the dotted line.

“People have been using corrugated boxes for decades. As human beings, we are loathed to change and struggle with change. This makes the process difficult for companies to transition even in the face of obvious benefit. ​

“Being at the forefront of this [sustainable packaging revolution] means we have acted as the agents of change, which has been a challenge. But now that legislation is coming in, there's a new urgency and investment requirement in packaging which you never had before. This significantly impacts the face of that ‘pain of change’ and alters our role entirely.”​

Still, she added that transitioning to Alpal all at once is tricky, and said the option to stagger that is possible: “You can have corrugated boxes and Alpals at the same time.”​

But as for the future, she said reusability is where packaging is headed and this will enable companies to utilise their packaging in far more efficient ways, including as a tool for understanding what’s happening in their supply chain far better.

“Packaging is moving from an expense to an asset.”​

Robinson explained that circularity is at the heart of what Alpal does. Its mission is to “transform supply-chains for circular efficiencies”​ and it intends to achieve this by fulfilling its customers’ needs “beyond just the product itself”​ and “partnering with forward thinking experts”.​

She added: “We don’t want to be all things to all people. We want to be clear on what we are and are not in the business of.”​

To this end, the business intends to build an ecosystem of partners that work together to solve the big issues of today – and it’ll be looking to strike up more partnerships to the ones it already has, so it can cater for future demands.

In other news, Hill Biscuits investor LDC has exited, selling its shares to ​​own label company Cerealto UK​​.​