The Overlooked Advantage: Why Reusable Transport Packaging Is a Win – Win for Business and the Planet

At this year’s Pack Expo International, one message rang clear: reusable transport packaging isn’t just a sustainability strategy – it’s a smart business decision.  

While the environmental case for reusable crates, totes, and pallets has been well established, industry leaders are now doubling down on the financial value they bring. It’s not just about saving the planet – it's about saving dollars, too.  

Beyond Recycling: Why Reuse Deserves the Spotlight  

For years, the conversation around sustainable packaging has focused heavily on recycling. But recycling is neither free nor infinitely scalable. As Karin Witton, Global Head of Sustainability at Tosca, emphasized, the reuse model offers long-term cost benefits that recycling can’t match. Each reuse drives per-unit cost while cutting emissions – a dual return that’s hard to ignore.  

Regulations Are Rising – So Are Expectations  

With extended producer responsibility (EPR) policies and corporate sustainability reporting gaining traction, businesses are under pressure to prove their environmental impact and fiscal prudence. As Jessica Bonsall of 48forty Solutions put it: “Love them or hate them, regulations are here to stay.” And with those regulations comes an opportunity: show measurable progress by investing in reusables that deliver tangible results.  

Reusables as Financial Assets  

Perhaps the most powerful takeaway? Companies need to stop seeing sustainability initiatives as costs and start seeing them as assets. Patrick Owens, Chief Sustainability Officer at Marrad, argued that the financial barrier to reusables is largely outdated. With better durability, operational efficiency, and pooled logistics models, the ROI speaks for itself.  

Take pooling, for instance – a model where companies share a centralized hub for cleaning, maintaining, and redistributing packaging materials. According to Witton, this not only reduces emissions but also slashes costs, especially as carbon pricing becomes a reality for more organizations.  

Speak the Language of Carbon and Capital  

To build a compelling case – whether internally or with customers – sustainability leaders must connect environmental impact with financial value. It’s not enough to talk about emissions reductions alone; demonstrating how sustainable choices also drive cost savings strengthens the argument. Framing sustainability initiatives in terms of both dollars and carbon creates a powerful, data-driven narrative that resonates across the business. It also further drives the needed incentives and motivators for corporate boardrooms to act concertedly in favor of the climate crisis.   

Data Is the New Driver  

As reporting standards evolve, the ability to track and quantify only environmental and financial metrics is no longer enough. Investing in tools that capture lifecycle data, utilization rates, and carbon footprint reductions will be key to turning reusables into measurable competitive advantage.  

The Bottom Line  

Reusable transport packaging isn’t a trade - off - it’s a strategic investment. It’s time for companies to shift their mindset, align sustainability with profitability, and prepare for a future where doing good for the planet is also good for business.