VIRTUAL MICRO-INTERNSHIP

 Suggest models for protecting product integrity within a pallet network operation (e.g. anything from single items to full pallets, including outsized items)

o   Taking into consideration the goal of reducing overall packaging

o   Minimising the use of non-recyclable packaging

Highlight what innovations are coming to the market with this dual focus of being more sustainable and offering maximum protection of product.

To really get into the challenge and demonstrate a strong grasp of the issues around packaging, we would like you to identify and consider:

·       What are the problem areas?

·       What is driving action (e.g. what are the key legislative levers being pulled)

·       Are there any specific problems in the UK? (e.g. protection of water courses & resources, litter, etc)

·       Focus on Commercial operations such as warehouses and logistics but also supply chains too

·       Focus has shifted to producers (e.g. extended producer responsibility – EPR)

o   Is this a balanced approach?

o   What, if any, are the pitfalls of this approach?

o   Is this ‘just another tax’ being levied on business? (alongside other taxes – recent plastics tax, requiring 30% recycled content in plastics packaging otherwise the tax is levied)

o   What could a more balanced approach look like? – role of consumers and packaging increase driven by this demand (e.g. e-commerce explosion and amount of paper/card being used in such business models)

·       What areas of innovation are developing? – with some thought given to commercial viability

o   Plastics

o   Paper/card

o   Shift back to wood, steel, glass

o   Mushrooms

o   Synthetic / nature based

We know you’ll be doing your own research but below are some other helpful areas for information: