PPS East showcased its new designs for a family of returnable lightweight airfreight boxes at the European Seafood Exposition in Brussels, which are being developed for the delivery of flown-in fresh fish.
The lidded boxes will come in various sizes, which will hold 3kg, 6kg or 12kg of fresh fillets. They are light enough to compete with expanded polystyrene boxes, but are also so strong that they can be re-used up to 100 times. However, the company is keen to keep the manufacturing process a secret.
PPS East will rent the boxes at a low cost, which will include supply, delivery, collection and washing.
At the exhibition, the team had success by meeting with 15 fresh fish related businesses, which included three UK retailers, seven major processors, four fresh fish suppliers and a fish airfreight carrier, all who thought the new development for alternative lightweight boxes could be a real turning point in the packaging of fish.
These businesses all commented that it’s not just the commercial benefits of using a returnable box, but also the environmental aspect. Waste packaging reduction is an important subject for retailers, so if the packaging can be reused throughout the whole supply chain, without any added cost, then this should seriously be looked at.
Following such excellent feedback and comments for these new lightweight returnable boxes, PPS East has taken the next step in development, and is looking to have prototypes made as soon as possible so box trials can begin.
