Protecting the environment is among the top priorities of the international freight forwarders. This is achieved through shorter and optimised routes, as well as the use of eco-friendly packaging whenever it can be used instead of the popular plastic packing. Recycling the packaging must become a higher priority in freight forwarding, because it is one of the main measures taken for the reduction of global pollution.
The pollution caused by plastic packaging
In freight forwarding, packing smaller and bigger shipments is part of the daily practice. Solid packaging keeps the cargo protected and intact during transport. Packaging made of synthetic plastic materials is still predominant in modern logistics. But because they decompose very slowly, they pose a great risk for environmental pollution. The idea of the plastic packaging is to be extremely durable which makes them practically non-biodegradable. Plastic is a material which contains some basic toxic substances which can pollute the land, air and water permanently.
Reaching satisfactory results with the use of sustainable packing for freight forwarding has yet to be accomplished. The reason is that the main requirement for the international freight forwarding packaging is to be strong and robust.
Measures taken for providing better care for the environment when using packaging
The first steps for improving the care for the environment when dealing with packaging were made in Norway, with the introduction of environmental tax laws and other measures for encouraging recycling. When sustainable packaging is used by forwarders throughout Europe for their forwarders international freight services, lower taxes are paid.
The environmental taxation law in Norway
The environmental taxation policy was introduced in Norway in 2008. This law differentiates between primary and secondary packaging.
Primary packaging is the main packaging which covers the entire cargo and protects it during the transportation. The secondary packaging is the packaging which surrounds all elements of the cargo and is underneath the primary packaging. Since secondary packaging is used to keep elements together only, it can be made from sustainable packaging materials. This leads to lower taxes for the packaging used by freight forwarders Europe.
Apart from being charged with lower taxes for using sustainable packaging, the companies are further stimulated with low taxes for recycling the packaging as well.
The use of eco-friendly packaging for the secondary packaging as well as recycling by IFA
The member companies of the European network for logistics observe the principle for separating primary from secondary packaging. Sustainable and biodegradable materials are used for secondary packaging. This allows for the reduction of us of non-biodegradable packaging for small shipments in groupage services and thus the reduction of the pollution of the environment.
Another method for reducing the pollution from distribution logistics utilised by the member companies of IFA is recycling.
Greater care for the environment through the combined efforts of the forwarders throughout Europe, as well as the manufacturers and retailers
In order to achieve better results from implementing sustainable packaging by the companies offering international forwarding services, it is necessary that the efforts of these forwarders need to be combined with those by the manufacturers and retailers, who too use huge quantities of packaging. This will allow for eco-friendly packaging to be used for the secondary packaging and recycling at a much larger scale.