Outcomes of Eco-design for Distribution Packaging
Introduction
In this section, you will learn more about what motivates Y.G. Packaging Solutions on our mission to bring sustainable packaging to every organization. We will discuss the outcomes of eco-design for distribution packaging at scale by extrapolating the results of the Acme Foods case study to the scale of the entire U.S. economy.
Risk management outcomes of eco-design for distribution packaging
At least 2,100 Americans have been killed in material handling incidents since 2011. Many of these incidents were related to unit load failures. Human life is priceless, and without packaging systems that are designed to the highest standard of structural integrity, there is a risk that hidden weaknesses in your existing packaging systems will lead to unit load failures and occupational hazards in your organization.
Economic outcomes of eco-design for distribution packaging
The typical distribution packaging user in the United States ships roughly 100,000 unit loads per year. In the case of Acme Foods, the eco-design process yielded an overall cost savings of $24.10 per unit load, mostly from a reduction in product damages. $2.50 per unit load was saved from packaging components alone. The image below shows that Acme Foods was able to save an impressive $2.41 million annually using our eco-design service.
![](https://ygpkg.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Unit-Load-Savings-1024x201.png)
At a minimum attractive rate of return (MARR) of 20%, this annual cost savings would have a present value of $14.4 million to Acme Foods over a 30-year design lifespan.
Roughly 2 billion pallets are circulated in the U.S. economy each year. If we extrapolate the results of the Acme Foods case study to the scale of the entire U.S. economy, we see that eco-design for distribution packaging has the potential to generate $48 billion in annual cost savings for American packaging users.
![](https://ygpkg.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Unit-Load-Savings-2-1024x197.png)
This is more money than NASA receives in federal funding each year. ($33 billion)
Environmental outcomes of eco-design for distribution packaging
Acme Foods was able to reduce their carbon emissions by 1.6 kilograms (3.5 pounds) per unit load using eco-design. Extrapolating these results to the scale of the U.S. economy, we see that it is possible to reduce the emissions of packaging users in the United States by up to 1.6 million metric tons using eco-design for distribution packaging.
![](https://ygpkg.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Unit-Load-Impacts-1024x199.png)
The U.S. EPA estimates the average American’s carbon footprint at 16 U.S. tons per year. If eco-design principles were applied to every unit load in the United States, the resulting reduction in emissions could be 1.6 million metric tons, or enough to offset the carbon emissions of over 110,000 Americans.
Next steps
Next, you will learn about what you can do to initiate the eco-design process with us. A free fifteen minute consultation is all it takes to get started.