Reusable Packaging and Sustainability at Pack Expo

Tim DeBus: Thanks so much, Bill.

Bill Wohl: So, I am excited today to talk about an event that’s taking place next week. Real timely topic, which is the Reusable Packaging Association attending Pack Expo East, which is at the Philadelphia Convention Center here in my hometown. That’s pretty exciting. I know Tim, your organization will be there, John as well.  We know Pack Expo is a great show for the people that think about packaging and supply chain. This year the event organizers are saying we could have as many as 400 suppliers and 30 educational sessions. Tim, why don’t I start with you?  What makes Pack Expo such a great event?

Tim DeBus: It’s a gathering of leading professionals, practitioners of packaging all different types of products and services and really bringing together the buyers and sellers in the marketplace. It allows for companies who are interested in looking at different packaging innovations to come explore some of the latest and greatest products that are now available in the marketplace. And so this is a a terrific event that’s overdue certainly for us gathering and seeing the showcase of packaging innovations and allowing us to to talk and engage with the market, whether it’s customers or suppliers, to really understand what’s new,  but also how things have changed within this changed environment that we’re living in now, especially with all the pressures on the supply side of the business. And so, this is a great way to have engagement to return back to those personal connections that have been long missed over the last couple years. This particular show, Pack Expo East, does focus more on pulling in attendance from the Eastern part of the United States does have an international presence, but really is looking more of a regional show at a very you know high population centers of the east coast and a lot of the the wealth of companies and organizations that are there that are anticipating on attending this event. So this is a good chance for our organization the Reusable Packaging Association to talk about what’s the latest in reusable packaging systems and to work with member companies like ACSIS and others to allow them to showcase what they have available to attendees at the show. So, it’s an exciting time for us as we get back to those physical engagements and meet and greet you know others in the market, but also have a chance to get on stage and speak specifically about topics that are interested to attendees. And so, it’s kind of that full-service trade show again. And we’re optimistic that it’s going to, you know, continue off where it left a couple years back with some tremendous success. 

Bill Wohl: That’s great, Tim. John, it’s so interesting that we talk about the return to business because a lot of the focus on our program here has been about the impact of the pandemic on supply chains. Sustainability is a topic we’ve covered more than a few times. What’s on the mind of supply chain leaders as they think about packaging and sustainability in the supply chain?

John DiPalo: Yeah, it it is definitely trending towards how can I ensure that as I move product through the supply chain that I’m thinking about, you know, what happens on the other end, right? So, the removal of one-way packaging, you know, the ability to utilize returnables in order to optimize the movement of product as well as fit into sustainability as well as, you know, potentially lower costs you know, is really something that a lot of people are talking about now. You know, and I’ll echo, you know, Tim’s comments. You know, it’s been 2 years since I’ve been to a face to face event. , and we’re really looking forward to talking to supply chain leaders around these topics and also understanding from their perspective what has changed in their minds during the pandemic and how can we better help them serve their customers and provide you know a a a better way of doing things for their companies from both a sustainability perspective as well as an operational perspective.

Bill Wohl: It seems quite obvious to everyone around sustainability to get rid of waste and to be smarter about the impact on the environment. But for supply chain leaders, increasingly, technologies job is to capture the data story behind sustainability as many companies are focused on meeting their commitments and to document the changes that they’ve made to their business to make sure they meet their sustainability goals. That’s where technology fits in, right, John?

John DiPalo: It certainly does. And actually the interesting part about that when you when you sit down and and think about it, there are certain technologies and certain costs that wouldn’t make sense to apply as an example on one-way packaging, but you can advertise those costs on returnable packaging as you enter into the circular economy and you get the best of both worlds, right? So, you get the ability to leverage technology on returnable packaging,  get the environmental footprint down, get your ability to capture information and track those products in a more favorable way and the side benefit of all of that is it fits in very nicely in your environmental and sustainability programs.

Bill Wohl: Yeah, everybody talks about sustainability, but there is a very positive business story, Tim, around not only the impact on the environment, but the efficiency gains that come for lots of different players along the supply chain, the manufacturer, the the shippers, and and ultimately the end customers on reusable packaging. Correct?

Tim DeBus: Very much so. And I’d like to ask folks to, you know, not necessarily look at reusable packaging for just environmental benefits, environmental initiatives that you have going on because I think you’re missing really a bigger part of the of the picture. Reusable packaging is about value creation and certainly part of that is a reduction of foot. Whether it’s eliminating waste and pollution from your supply chain, whether it’s reducing greenhouse gas emissions or lowering energy consumption, for example, on the environmental side. But really what it does is reusable packaging allows you to achieve a level of efficiencies and performance in your packaging that’s going to enable the company to reach new heights in the business in the operations.  and John mentioned the word that that I’ve tended gravitated for is leveraging. You know, I Look at  right now it’s not inventory management with reusable packaging. It’s inventory leveraging. How can you use these assets to have gains in your operations to have better you know better commitments and follow through and success with your customers in terms of delivering and and managing their products and technology actually has really become at an inflection point I think is is where we stand today. I mean for so long, you know technology you’re able to apply in often required line of sight or crossing through a portal that’s fixed infrastructure on a warehouse for example but we’re today breaking out of those fixed points. We’re offering technology that allows for supply chain visibility and real-time tracking and identification really anywhere in the world. And it’s opened up this exciting chance for this this unparallel inventory leveraging that really is giving businesses a chance to overcome obstacles such as supply chain shortages and management of resources and materials and cross into a level where you’re actually using these reusable packaging products for benefits and for you know cost savings within your business. And so that’s really I think the excitement that we have with reusable packaging and the enablement with technology is creating these these smart products that are enabling a company to to grow and to you know create new value for their business and also achieve the sustainability of performance that they’re they’re seeking. You can have both the economic and environmental benefits, and that’s one of the exciting areas that we have today.

Bill Wohl: One of the great things about expositions have has always been educational sessions and opportunities to learn and for attendees of pack expo there are some 30 plus educational sessions that come along with the registration. John and Tim, I I know you both are going to share the stage in the educational sessions on Wednesday morning at 10:00 a.m. to kick off that day of the session. John, what’s on the agenda as you present to attendees as part of this session sponsored by the Reusable Packaging Association?

John DiPalo: Yeah, we’re really going to focus on technology and operational excellence in the use of, you know, returnable packaging, and kind of we’ll dive deeper into that subject during that 30-minute slot.  You know, I encourage everyone to stop by, listen, and bring their questions with them.  and you know, I think it’s going to be an interesting topic. So Tim and I will tag team on that one.  and have an overview of kind of where the industry sits and then some ideas around, you know, how you can how you can best integrate those processes into operational excellence.

Bill Wohl: The best opportunity at Pack Expo is a chance to meet and talk to experts and peers in the field and learn from each other. So, let’s  finish up our podcast today with some details on the show.  Tim, I’m sure the Reusable Packaging Association must have a booth somewhere on the show floor. Where can people find you at Pack Expo besides the educational session?

Tim DeBus: Absolutely. We’ve got a booth and we’re surrounded by a few of our members like ACSIS. it’s a pavilion area that  people can come and just within that place of the show floor, really get a lot of answers to questions. about reusable packagings to see some new products and to talk with industry leaders and company representatives about reusable packaging. So, we definitely look forward to having folks visit our area of the of the show and certainly make their way to the innovation stage. We’ll have two sessions, one being that we talked about here with John to talk more about reasonable packaging in detail. And so, it’s a great place to meet with us, and we can, you know, look at as an information change about where reusable packaging is today and talk about how moving into reuse and considering the reuse opportunities that would be beneficial for your business.

Bill Wohl: A lot of benefits from visiting the city of Philadelphia, the convention center sits over top of the Reading Terminal Market where you can sample some of Philadelphia’s absolute best food and sites. The convention center right downtown next to City Hall and very accessible for people on the East Coast  in the Washington New York corridor because there’s great train service in and out of Philadelphia. Train stations just 10 minutes from the convention center. People may be wondering about attending the pack expo at the last minute and scheduling. John, you’ve got some good news because there’s a discount code from ACSIS to register for the show. Is that correct?

John DiPalo: That’s correct. And you’ll be able to save money on the show and spend it on a great sandwich in Reading Terminal Market and use discount code 48A58. That’s 48A58. And you know, once you get into the show, please stop by and visit us in our booth, and that’s booth number 2821.

Bill Wohl: I’m going to get a chance to come over to the Pack Expo. I hope all of you that are listening will consider attending the show even at the last minute, pick a day, and come into Philadelphia. John DiPalo, chief strategy officer at Access. Tim Dus, president of the Reusable Packaging Association. Gentlemen, thanks for being on the program again today. We’ll see you at Pack Expo.

John DiPalo: Thanks, Bill.

Tim DeBus: Thank you.

Bill Wohl: Thanks as always for being with us for our podcast series and to the folks at ACSIS for making the series possible. We welcome your comments and questions about the discussions on these podcasts. You can engage with us directly at the show next week at Pack Expo in Philadelphia or at the ACSIS Twitter and LinkedIn accounts or with the folks at the Reusable Packaging Association. Please be a part of the discussion. I’m your host, Bill Wohl. And for everyone at ACSIS, thanks for joining our podcast series. We look forward to the next one and talk soon.

Narrator: Thank you for listening to supply chain visibility stories brought to you by ACSIS, the 100% supply chain visibility cloud solution provider. Visit us on the web at ACSISinc.com. That’s ACSISinc.com or join the dialogue on social media. Look for ACSIS Inc. on LinkedIn and Twitter. Join us next time for supply chain visibility stories brought to you by ACSIS.