Earth Evolution - Issue 06

“To improve is to change. To be perfect is to change often.” Winston Churchill

For modern day businesses, pivoting to respond to the ever-changing economic landscape is the new normal.

There are labour challenges to manage, and a growing transient workforce, a changing consumer landscape, increasing food legislation, reformulation and regulation, packaging changes and highly scaled supply chains that require highly standardized processes. It’s understandable that executives are struggling to keep up, with little headspace for sustainability change and innovation other than how they will deliver critical cost savings.

This month Capgemini’s recent LinkedIn article – A little less conversation, A little more action, got us talking. The article followed the release of its third edition of the Our World in Balance research and reinforced many of the conversations we’ve been having. While many executives understand that data and digital technologies will deliver efficiencies and support greater sustainability measures, they can cost a lot and often introduce a new challenge. Greenwashing is also a growing concern, with 62% of executives worried that their organizations sustainability efforts might appear insincere to the public.

The call to adopt and benefit from advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere, and I’m not surprised that it features in many of the articles we have included in this edition of Earth Evolution.

Attendees at the recent FEFPEB conference in Belgium heard how AI will transform pallets and packaging within ten years, with an estimated 20-25per cent improvement in productivity forecast. And an article in the latest Vision magazine investigates the benefits and downfalls of living a life guided more and more by the technology, and how the produce supply chain can benefit from adoption.

I hope you enjoy the read, and as always get in touch if you’d like to discuss how the solutions we offer at PalletEarth can help your business to thrive in our ever-changing world.

Dave and the PalletEarth team

Industry News

Unprecedented agreement for compostable fresh produce labels

A landmark agreement between fresh produce businesses and composting organizations is set to accelerate the development and introduction of certified compostable PLU stickers from 2025. The European Union has called for a transition to certified compostable PLUs by 2028. Accelerating their adoption is a global priority given the risk that requirements will increasingly diverge from country to country in the coming years. Read more about what the agreement means.
Read More

NAPD calls for higher spec pallets to support reuse options

The National Association of Pallet Distributors, which represents the UK pallet repair and reconditioning industry, has reiterated the calls from European pallet groups for increased pallet reuse to help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and cost per use. Paul Tait, NAPD Chairman, said, “There is a clear need to increase reusability by boosting the lifespan of pallets, which we can do by manufacturing with the goal of reconditioning a repair from the start.”

Read More

How changing language could address consumers confusion about living sustainably

Has the food industry made ‘sustainability’ into a marketing buzzword? This opinion piece in The Grocer looks at how this has undermined the truly impactful terms like ‘organics ’and ‘biodiversity’. Ecotone UK CEO Emma Vass calls for food manufacturers to use clear and consistent information to help consumers make informed decisions. You can read the survey findings about what UK consumers consider sustainable food choices as released by Ecotone here.

Read More

DS Smith release the Material Change Index

DS Smiths first of its kind analysis of 1,500 supermarket groceries found that 51% of food and drink items in the UK are unnecessarily packaged in plastic that can be safely removed or replaced with alternatives. Together it adds up to 29.8 billion avoidable pieces annually across the UK. Read more about the research findings here.
Read More

Featured Innovation

How new technologies will shape the economy

This Top Traders podcast talks with BNP Paribas Fortis Chief Economist, Koen De Leus, and Chief Strategist, Philippe Gijsels, co-authors of The New World Economy in 5 Trends: Investing in Times of Super inflation, Hyperinnovation and Climate Transition. Hear them talk about how technologies like AI and 3D printing will drive economic growth and why they are likely to create more jobs than they destroy.

Read More

Global fresh produce industry release sustainability charter

The final report from the International Sustainability Summit (April, Vancouver) and a Sustainability Charter have been released by the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA), in partnership with the International Federation for Produce Standards (IFPS) and the Global Coalition of Fresh Produce. The report provides key takeaways from the conference, while the Charter offers a set of principles including adopting an integrated approach to sustainability, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, prioritizing global harmonization and common standards, elevating industry leadership and advocacy.

Read More

Sustainability Spotlight

African farmers urge governments to support adoption of innovative farming practices

Sub-Saharan farmers have highlighted their barriers to accessing the tools they need to fully realize the potential of regenerative agriculture to improve food security in Africa. The comments follow the second Roundtable of African Farmers in Rome. Barriers include low public and private R&D investments, high upfront costs for modern technologies, limited access to insurance and credit policies and a lack of infrastructure.

Read More

The extreme science of climate forecasting

With the world lagging behind the ambition set out in the Paris Accord, scientists say there has never been a more important time to observe, monitor and predict global climate changes to support our future adaptation. The FT’s climate editor Emiliya Mychasuk explains how great advances in data gathering and processing could help the world prepare for the worst of the more frequent weather extremes on the way.

Read More


Related Posts

June 4, 2023
PalletEarth: delivering intelligence for new generation supply chains

Dave Cashmore talks about how PalletEarth’s unique tracking feature enables full visibility of your pallet

Read More
July 10, 2023
Achieving true circularity with each pallet

To deliver true circularity, each pallet must come back to source. Hear Dave Cashmore talk about how the PalletEarth team works with each of its customers and their supply chain partners to establish a return route, which in many cases will already exist.

Read More
April 19, 2023
Supply Chain Waste White Paper: The Preventable Billion-Dollar Problem

The simple steps that could save USD$163 billion in preventable waste each year. The first in a series of whitepapers, PalletEarth’s ‘Supply Chain Waste – a preventable billion-dollar problem’, concisely outlines the issue at hand as well as the simple steps businesses can take.

Read More
April 10, 2024
Unlocking Efficiency - White Paper

In PalletEarth’s third whitepaper, we explore real-world case studies showcasing the immediate cost savings and rapid return on investment (ROI) that companies can achieve through well-implemented AI technologies.

Read More
June 19, 2023
PalletEarth – partnering to provide quantifiable carbon change

Achieving ongoing sustainability
improvements requires long term relationship driven change.

Read More
February 28, 2024
Earth Evolution - Issue 01

Welcome to Earth Evolution - a newsletter committed to innovation, sustainability and cost efficiency in the supply chain sector. In an era where the global supply chain landscape is undergoing profound transformations, PalletEarth remains dedicated to nurturing change for a sustainable tomorrow.

Read More
December 12, 2022
Tackling the environmental impact of wooden pallets

Published on Exporter Today, Freight and Logistics -12 December 2022.

Read More
October 4, 2023
Easy Engineering Feature - Changing the way the world moves

Carl McInerney, Business Development Director UK & Europe at PalletEarth, explains how we’re changing the way the world moves!

Read More
June 18, 2024
Earth Evolution - Issue 03

“A change is brought about because ordinary people do extraordinary things.” Barack Obama

In the third issue of Earth Evolution we continue to keep you up to date and informed on the latest innovations, trends and news in the supply chain industry

Read More
January 6, 2023
When plastic and steel are more 'palletable' than wood

Published on Business Desk, by Brent Melville, Friday 6 January

Read More
1 2 3
Copyright © PalletEarth

Subscribe to our newsletter and updates