As executives endeavor to reduce their company's environmental footprint, supply chains have increasingly become a key area of focus. Improvements in transportation efficiency, operations, raw material selection and packaging are all topping the list of "green" supply chain initiatives. However, one area that has yet to receive adequate attention is a company's choice of shipping platform even though it has a direct impact on the success rate of all previously mentioned supply chain initiatives.
Shipping platforms are a form of tertiary packaging. While primary and secondary packaging serve to protect an individual unit and a group of units respectively, tertiary packaging helps to ensure the safe and efficient transport of large quantities of goods. As the industry embarks on "green" strategies aimed at packaging reduction, a company's choice of shipping platform will become increasingly important to help ensure the safe transport of goods.
Source: Industry Week, http://industryweek.com