PROMOTIONAL
ARTICLE
PROMOTIONAL
ARTICLE
Plastic proving to be the
perfect packaging solution
Farmers depend heavily on packaging to help protect their goods on the journey from the fi eld to a
packing or distribution centre and fi nally to the shelf. Today, more and more growers are turning to plastic
crates for packaging and transporting their produce, and the reasons are plentiful.
In these competitive times, businesses along the supply chain are
demanding lower costs from their suppliers. Reusable and returnable
packaging offers farmers the ability to not only reduce their costs, but
also increase their efficiencies, while at the same time benefitting
their workers and the environment.
Today, wooden crates, cardboard boxes and plastic crates are all
used for agricultural packaging. Wooden crates have been used for the
longest time, and replaced woven baskets as a way to transport pro-
duce. Cardboard boxes were added later as a cheaper, one-use alterna-
tive, and plastic crates have been available on the market for around
28 years. The use of plastic crates has increased significantly in recent
years. These are now used for storage and distribution in many diverse
industries from electronics to dairy farming, pharmaceuticals to the
fishing industry and, of course, in agriculture where the benefits are
becoming more noticeable.
According to Edward Smith, Director of Precision Plastics, the
agricultural industry is extending its use of plastic crates. “The dis-
tribution system for fruit and vegetables is complex and a ceaseless
logistical process, with a significant impact on the environment, and
the farmer’s bottom line.”
28 MARKtoe! September 2017
Precision Plastics, situated in
Brackenfell Industria.
“While wooden crates and cardboard boxes are still in use in farm-
ing, plastic crates are fast becoming the norm.” “The advantages are
numerous,” “not only to the farmer, but to the entire value chain, and
the environment.”
The main advantage of plastic crates is that they are reusable.
Considering how many thousands of metric tons of produce travel