Anyone striving to make their supply chain more sustainable must keep their sustainability processes simple, above all else. This became evident during the third edition of the SCM Talkshow on featuring Bonduelle and BigMile user Moonen Packaging, organized by Supply Chain Media on March 30, 2023.
Packaging wholesaler Moonen Packaging is looking for ways to improve the sustainability of its transport. It has set itself the goal that the internal supply chain and the downstream supply chain to customers must be carbon-neutral by the end of 2026. Operational Director Roland van Bussel said that the internal supply chain is not the problem.
Downstream supply chain
“Downstream we still need to eliminate 250 tonnes of CO2 from the supply chain. We work with around five carriers, and we want to link them to the BigMile platform. That will enable us to measure and report shipment-level carbon emissions to our customers”, commented Van Bussel. “We hope this will encourage them to make more sustainability-conscious purchasing decisions, leading to fewer shipments and fuller trucks.”
According to Van Bussel, it’s even more difficult to make the other part of the supply chain more sustainable. “In that case, it’s about the packaging itself and how it is produced. The packaging industry is quite traditional and difficult to persuade to use sustainable transport, for example, but we are going to try.”
Circular supply chain
A sustainable supply chain ultimately also means a circular supply chain. In its circular service named ‘Happy Plastic’, Moonen has already started recovering packaging film, which is processed into raw material for new packaging film. “We have launched it with a number of customers, but it is still in its infancy. Sometimes, rather than waiting until you’ve got all the data you need, you should just make a start. Then you automatically come up against all the barriers that need to be removed,” Van Bussel stated.
