Collaboration can minimise damage to packs, says group

Collaborative research into damage in the supply chain could usefully be applied to a number of different packaging types, says the convenor of a group linking users and manufacturers of liquid cartons.

The Carton User Group (CUG) has a membership which includes Del Monte, Gerber Foods, Milk Link, Rubicon Beverages, SIG Combibloc and Tetra Pak. Last year it worked with other bodies, including Pira International, to research damage to packs, gauge the scale of the problem and identify where these problems occurred.

Research is now focusing on the supply chain between the depot and the consumer. Asda and Tesco are working with the CUG on this. Says group convenor Neil Selby: "The next stage of the project will look at a model to help us prioritise where the greatest risks lie."

But Selby sees the study having wider relevance. "Although we are looking at cartons, the tools we develop will be applicable to any sort of package: we want to stimulate innovation across the industry."

He identifies metal packaging as one area that might equally benefit from this type of collaborative research.

Pira International, he adds, is currently studying the ways in which damage to packaging affects consumer purchasing.

The group is also addressing environmental questions. Although the initiative was not its own, the opening of a new plant in Scotland to recycle beverage cartons will greatly help the industry's profile in this respect, says the CUG.

It makes sense for competing suppliers to collaborate in these areas, says Selby. "For Tetra Pak and Combibloc, a wide range of supply chain issues can be addressed collectively.