The commercial value of reusable packaging depends on how it performs across the supply chain – from protecting products and improving handling to managing empty returns and keeping assets in circulation. In this Q&A, Viscount CEO David Smith discusses the economics of reuse, the design requirements of automated warehouses, and how RFID, sensors and AI can help businesses make better use of their packaging assets and operational data.
The shift from single-use packaging
PKN: David, Viscount contends that single-use packaging is becoming economically inefficient in many industrial supply chains. What is changing in the cost equation, and where is reuse likely to gain ground first?
The true cost isn’t the packaging. It’s the friction that packaging creates throughout the supply chain.
For many businesses, packaging is still assessed on purchase price alone. But when you factor in labour, handling, product damage, disposal costs and transport inefficiencies, the economics look very different.
That’s why we’re seeing strong adoption of reusable packaging in high-volume supply chains such as fresh produce, dairy and protein, where assets move through the network repeatedly and can be recovered efficiently.
In our experience, most customers don’t switch because reuse is more sustainable on its own. They switch because it improves operational performance and profitability. The sustainability benefit follows.
A recent example of this is one of Australia's leading fresh-cut salad producers moving all of its pre-packaged salads from single-use cardboard into our reusable plastic crates, creating a more efficient and cost effective supply chain, in addition, it will remove more than 1.4 million cartons from the supply chain, reduce emissions by 532 tonnes of CO₂-e and save more than 5.4 million litres of water.
Which categories do you believe will be next to make the switch?
We've been working in Fresh Produce and protein for a long time, but what we're seeing now is strong growth in poultry. Beyond that, I think there's a real opportunity across the chilled section of the supermarket. Products like Ready Meals, deli items, yoghurts and custards are all well suited to reusable packaging systems. If you look overseas, Marks & Spencer is a great example of where this can go.
Fresh flowers is another category that's starting to attract interest. It's still early days, but it has many of the characteristics that make reuse work well.
The commercial value of reusable crates
PKN: Reusable plastic crates are already well established in fresh produce and protein supply chains. What have these applications demonstrated about the commercial and operational value of reuse?
The most sustainable package is often the one that prevents something more valuable from being thrown away.
One of the biggest lessons from our reusable plastic crate system is that reducing packaging waste often starts with reducing product waste.
Across fresh produce supply chains, reusable plastic crates provide greater durability and product protection than many single-use alternatives due to their robust design. That can mean less damage during transport, better presentation at retail and more saleable product reaching the shelf.
Retailers and growers increasingly recognise that food waste is often far more expensive than packaging waste, so protecting the product becomes the priority.
The commercial value comes from reducing friction and cost at multiple points in the supply chain. Reusable plastic crates can reduce manual handling in distribution centres, improve store-level handling efficiency, lower waste and disposal costs, and create a more consistent, predictable flow of product through the network.
Solving the reverse logistics challenge
PKN: What supply-chain problem did the Nally Folding MegaBin set out to solve?
The ability to move and store less air.
When we started manufacturing the Nally Folding MegaBin, customers kept telling us the same thing. The biggest cost wasn’t moving full bins, it was moving empty ones back through the supply chain. The fastest way to save money in reverse logistics is to move less air.
Empty packaging generates no revenue, yet it consumes warehouse space, transport capacity and labour. We saw an opportunity to fundamentally rethink how reusable bulk packaging was returned and stored.
The result was a bin with a 3-1 collapse ratio that reduces the cost and complexity of reverse logistics while maintaining the durability and performance customers expect. Every Nally Folding MegaBin comes standard with RFID technology for improved traceability, while customised solutions are available for temperature-sensitive supply chains such as meat, seafood and fresh produce.
It also eliminates the need for an additional cost and management of a pallet for transport, as it is built into the bin.
Turning design into cost savings
PKN: The bin has a three-to-one collapse ratio and can be stacked up to 20 units high when folded. How does that translate into lower storage, transport and handling costs?
You’ve already paid for the truck. The question is how much value you’re putting on it.
A folded Nally Folding MegaBin occupies roughly one-third of the space of an erected unit. That allows businesses to transport significantly more empty assets on every return journey and store more units in the same warehouse footprint.
For customers, the value is immediate and easy to understand. More assets per truck movement means lower transport costs. More assets in the same storage space means improved warehouse efficiency.
Combined, those benefits improve asset utilisation and reduce operating costs. Because we manufacture the bins locally, customers also benefit from competitive pricing and lower ongoing maintenance costs. Replacement parts are readily available, making repairs simpler, faster and more cost-effective over the life of the asset.
Why visibility matters
PKN: How does track-and-trace technology help reduce losses and improve asset utilisation?
Visibility drives accountability, and accountability drives higher asset utilisation.
Many organisations know exactly how many pallets, crates or bins they’ve purchased, but they have limited visibility of where those assets are at any given time.
Track-and-trace technology changes that by providing real-time visibility across the network. Once customers can see where assets are moving and where they’re sitting idle, they can recover them faster, reduce losses and improve utilisation.
The value isn’t just knowing where an asset is. It’s understanding how effectively it’s being used.
We've seen that firsthand through the RFID technology used across our reusable crate network. The visibility it provides has helped deliver best-in-class loss rates, which benefits everyone in the supply chain. Lower losses mean less capital tied up in replacing assets, lower operating costs and a more efficient network overall. Ultimately, it allows us to deliver better outcomes for both our customers and retail partners, so it's a genuine win-win.
Beyond location: the power of RFID data
PKN: Beyond location, what can RFID data reveal about bottlenecks, handling events and performance?
The biggest opportunities aren’t found in movement. They’re found in delay.
The real value isn't just knowing where an asset is. It's understanding what's happening to it and how it's performing throughout the supply chain.
Technologies such as RFID provide visibility of asset movements, but when you combine that with sensors and other connected technologies, the insights become much more powerful. Businesses can analyse dwell times, movement patterns and handling events to identify bottlenecks that were previously hidden. Assets may be sitting at particular sites for days or weeks longer than expected, creating inefficiencies that nobody knew existed.
As these technologies continue to evolve, they can provide deeper insights into asset utilisation, product integrity and overall supply chain performance. For temperature-sensitive products such as meat, seafood and fresh produce, sensors can monitor conditions in real time, helping businesses improve product quality, reduce waste and respond more quickly when issues arise.
Ultimately, the opportunity is not just better visibility. It's turning data into smarter decisions that improve efficiency across the entire supply chain.
Turning data into better decisions
PKN: Where are businesses currently extracting genuine operational value from supply-chain data?
Data doesn’t replace operational expertise. It gives operators better information to act on.
The organisations creating the most value from supply-chain data aren’t necessarily collecting more information. They’re making better decisions with it.
We’re seeing businesses use data to reduce asset losses, improve inventory control, optimise transport planning and increase asset utilisation. Having visibility across the network allows issues to be identified earlier and resolved faster.
We're also seeing strong adoption of temperature monitoring technology in sectors such as meat processing, where product quality and shelf life are critical. Real-time visibility of in-transit temperatures allows businesses to identify anomalies earlier, make more informed decisions and take corrective action before product quality is impacted. The result is improved shelf life, better yield outcomes and less waste across the supply chain.
Ultimately, the value comes from turning operational data into actionable insights. The result is a more efficient supply chain with fewer surprises, better product outcomes and more effective use of resources.
The practical role of AI
PKN: How can AI turn that data into action?
AI won’t replace operators. It will help operators make better decisions faster.
The most useful AI applications in supply chains are surprisingly practical. One example is demand forecasting. By analysing historical movement patterns, AI can predict where pallets, crates or bins will be needed and recommend repositioning before shortages occur.
Another is identifying abnormal dwell times. If an asset remains at a site significantly longer than normal, AI can automatically flag the exception and help operators intervene before it becomes an asset loss issue or disrupts operations.
These aren’t futuristic concepts. They’re practical ways to improve utilisation, reduce unnecessary movements and make better decisions. The ability to quickly analyze and utilise mass data from numerous sources in potentially revolutionary for our business.
This is an exciting area Viscount is now tapping into which we believe will continue to maintain us as leaders in the use and utilisation of asset tracking and monitoring technology to deliver Value for our customers
The rise of the smarter pallet
PKN: Viscount recently launched the Genesis Plastic Pallet. How does it illustrate the shift from a basic load carrier to an intelligent supply-chain asset?
Genesis isn’t only built for outstanding load performance. It’s built to deliver valuable information too.
Traditionally, timber and plastic pallets were seen as simple transport platforms. Increasingly, they’re becoming connected assets that provide valuable operational intelligence.
Genesis was developed specifically for modern automated supply chains, with RFID capability as standard. That gives businesses greater visibility of where assets are, how they’re being used and how efficiently they’re moving through the network. There is also the optional addition of temperature and geolocation monitoring.
As supply chains become more data-driven, the value of the information attached to an asset is becoming almost as important as the asset itself.
By integrating options around sensing and monitoring in the Genesis Pallets we believe customers will be able to not only reduce the costs in their overall pallet management but also deliver real time data to their business and their customers on movements and supply chain metrics. Only a few years ago this type of capability was far from reach we are excited to be bringing this smart pallet capability to the market in 2027.
Built for automation
PKN: How has Genesis been designed to reduce jams, rejected loads and manual intervention?
Automation thrives on consistency, and consistency is exactly what Genesis delivers.
Automated warehouses are highly efficient, but they don’t tolerate variability.
Issues such as pallet warping, inconsistent dimensions or physical damage can create jams, rejected loads and costly downtime. Genesis was specifically designed to deliver the consistency that automation requires.
That means more reliable handling, fewer interruptions and improved throughput across increasingly automated supply chains.
Every Genesis Plastic Pallet is manufactured to precise dimensions of 1165mm x 1165mm x 150mm and moulded to a tolerance of approximately ±1mm. By comparison, wooden pallets can vary significantly, often by ±15mm to ±25mm, depending on age, moisture content, damage and repair history.
That level of consistency is critical for automated handling systems, where even small variations can cause disruptions. The result is more reliable handling, fewer interruptions, reduced product damage and improved throughput across the supply chain.
Beyond automation, consistent pallet dimensions also improve load stability and predictability, helping businesses operate more efficiently while reducing the hidden costs associated with pallet variability.
The biggest barrier to change
PKN: What are the main barriers preventing more businesses from moving to reusable, connected systems?
The biggest barrier isn’t technology. It’s shifting the conversation from purchase price to total supply chain value.
The technology already exists. Reusable packaging, RFID and supply-chain visibility tools are readily available today.
The challenge is that many organisations still evaluate packaging primarily on purchase price. When they start measuring product damage, labour, disposal costs, asset losses and transport inefficiencies, they often discover a very different business case.
In many situations, the most sustainable solution is also the most commercially attractive one.
To mitigate this challenge for businesses, Viscount has a specialised technical sales team that will walk alongside our customers. First, they will conduct a supply chain assessment to uncover the potential value and then, as required, also facilitate the piloting of the reusable equipment in the customers plant and supply chains. This support has been amazingly well received as it greatly reduces the potential change management required from the move to reusables.
Looking ahead
PKN: Looking five years ahead, where will the greatest change come from?
The future isn’t reusable packaging. The future is intelligent reusable packaging.
We’re entering a period where circularity, automation, asset visibility and artificial intelligence are converging.
In the future, every pallet, crate and bin will become a connected asset, generating information that helps optimise supply chains in real time. Businesses won’t simply measure the physical movement of goods.
They’ll use data to improve utilisation, reduce waste and make faster decisions.
As that happens, packaging will increasingly be viewed not as a cost of doing business, but as a source of operational advantage.
The organisations that embrace this shift first will be the ones that unlock the greatest efficiency, resilience and profitability benefits across their supply chains. This is extremely exciting to be leading.
