The call for effective reusable models is growing ever louder - not only in the end-consumer market, but especially in the B2B sector. With the new 5.4-liter reusable bucket and an intelligently networked system, PFABO addresses this demand and demonstrates how reusable solutions can work in practice not only ecologically, but also economically.
CASE STUDY: New System Solution for the Food Industry
THE INITIAL SITUATION
Around 18 million tons of plastic packaging waste are generated annually in Europe (2025). In the food industry, single-use plastic packaging dominates - produced in enormous quantities with high resource consumption and a significant CO2 footprint, especially in the B2B sector, where rigid plastic containers are used by the tonne every day.
They are efficient, lightweight, and inexpensive, but designed for single use only. After that, they are disposed of, often thermally recovered, which generates costs and places an additional burden on the environment. At the same time, regulatory pressure is increasing.
With the new EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), binding reuse quotas in the B2B sector will apply from 2030. The goal is to reduce single-use packaging and establish closed material loops. For food manufacturers, caterers, wholesalers, and food service operators, this means a profound transformation.
However, market-ready alternatives have so far been lacking. While initial reusable systems exist in the B2C sector, there are hardly any practical solutions in industrial environments—neither technically nor logistically. This is exactly where PFABO comes in with its new 5.4-liter reusable bucket.
THE INOTEC SOLUTION
To ensure the buckets are suitable for reuse, each container is equipped with a unique identifier (e.g. a 2D Data Matrix code / GS1 Digital Link) that can be read and processed via a central platform. This makes it possible, among other things, to:
- record movements and usage cycles
- track storage locations and dwell times
- document cleaning processes
- manage inventories automatically
This level of transparency enables all stakeholders from producers and wholesalers to processors to monitor the status of each container at any time. For PFABO, inotec uses inmold barcode labels. These are permanently embedded into the plastic during the injection molding process and are therefore abrasion-resistant, chemical-resistant, and hygienically safe.
Like the bucket itself, the labels are made of polypropylene, which facilitates mono-material recycling. Thanks to GS1-compliant codes, the containers can be integrated into existing ERP systems and digitally tracked.
THE PRODUCT
inotec offers the perfect product for every type of packaging. The polypropylene inmold label developed for PFABO offers numerous advantages:
- Robust construction and high-resolution digital printing
- Durability of up to 500 washing cycles without any loss of quality
- Maximum hygiene both during production and in use
- Full service from number management to individual programming
- Deposit security through unique coding
- 100% recyclable thanks to mono-material composition
- Food-safe
- Integration into existing processes
- Digital linkage between food product and container
- Permanent part of the packaging—cannot detach
Ihr Ansprechpartner
Stefan Meyer
Technical Sales Director
+49 4321 8709 38
meyer[at]inotec.de