Reducing stretch film waste in the food and drink sector: Good practice for buyers and users Introduction The UK market for stretch film in pallet stabilisation is estimated at 140,000 tonnes annually. 77,000 tonnes of this are used by the food and drinks sector. Much, if not all, of the tonnage of stretch film used will ultimately contribute to waste streams throughout the supply chain. There is significant scope to optimise the use of film pallet wrapping in the UK food and drink sector and, in so doing, reduce usage and waste; and ultimately save your business money. This document provides good practice advice for film use in pallet stabilisation operations. By following the simple four-stage STEM (Status-Technology-Experiment-Monitor) process outlined below, you can reduce overall usage and waste of stretch film in your operations, and save money. Equally, in instances where product damage occurs due to inadequate stretch film usage, this can be rectified in an optimal manner. This guidance complements the WRAP report Optimisation of pallet wrapping film and provides an overview of the selection and application of stretch film to reduce waste in the food and drink sector. Who this guide is for All buyers and users of stretch film in the food and drink sector who would like to reduce wastage and save on operating costs.
Stage 1: Status - Understand your needs Choose the right wrapping pattern Wrapping pattern and film gauge are the main factors in the stability of a wrapped load. Take the following steps for a good wrapping pattern: Ensure good pallet condition. Carry out a visual check of the pallet before starting the wrapping operation to ensure that the pallet is in good condition. Anchor the film. Use the natural cling of the film to stick the film to the load or wedge the end of the film between packs at the mid-point. Stabilise the load. Apply a minimum of two wraps around the pallet base, and further wraps depending on the gauge of film used and the characteristics of the load. Wrapping the load. Spiral up the pallet with each successive layer overlapping the previous layer by 40-60%. If a top cover is required, apply prior to securing the top wraps. Secure film tails. With the pallet wrapping operation complete, secure the loose end of the film. The natural cling of the film may secure the loose end to the load. Alternatively, the end can be tucked between layers of film on the load. Choose the right wrapping method For operations where consistency is important, and for larger scale wrapping operations, simple wrapping machines offer high levels of consistency and speed up the wrapping process. Capital costs for entry level machines are around 6-7K. Talk to machinery suppliers to determine the suitability of automation to your operation. Review your operation and supply chain Review your annual spend on film. Include disposal costs in your estimates e.g. waste cores, waste film. Weigh the amount of film you use in normal conditions for a mix of pallets. Strip it off and then weigh the material used. Determine the specification of the film you use. Your supplier will be able to provide this. Assess your pallet load specification and requirements e.g. mixed loads, single product type. Review the efficiency of your pallet load specification, i.e. the stability and optimisation of your pallet fill pattern. Assess how the film is applied manual, semi-automatic or automatic. If using semi-automatic or fully automated machinery, assess the current condition of key components, the maintenance schedule and training requirements. Review how the film works when applied to a load. Stage 2: Technology - Optimise film use Now that you understand your needs you can start looking at the type of stretch film you are using in your operations. There may well be substantial savings to be made by shopping around and adopting new practices. Choose the right film Price per roll or pallet load is often seen as the key factor in film purchasing decisions but this is not always advisable. There are a wide variety of film specifications, core weights and film lengths on the market, making it difficult for operators to compare one product with another. The only true measures of film should be the thickness and the length of the film as it is applied to the pallet load. Once the correct thickness of film for a particular application has been determined, film should be purchased on a cost per metre basis. This makes it relatively easy to calculate the wrapping cost of film per pallet, by multiplying the number of metres of film used by the cost per applied metre.
Switch to light-weight films Advances in technology and manufacturing have produced lighter stretch films that retain and even increase strength. Light-weighting can also be achieved by switching to pre-stretched films, which also have greater strength. Talk to your suppliers to work out the optimum film specification and wrapping pattern for your operations. Case study: A leading food wholesaler supplying catering businesses and independent retailers reduced total stretch film consumption from 315 tonnes p.a. to 130 tonnes p.a., yielding a film saving of 59%. The initiative, implemented in partnership with their film supplier, generated a reduction in film costs of 50% as well as improved load consolidation. Use pre-stretched films Pre-stretched film products have high tensile strength and thin gauges, reducing the material used by between 40-60% compared to conventional stretch films. Film manufacturers have introduced ranges of pre-stretched films for use in both automated and manual wrapping formats. These films are supplied pre-stretched typically to 150% or 250%. Case study: A large food manufacturer uses a fully-automatic machine to stretch wrap pallets. Working with their machine and film supplier, a new and improved film was introduced allowing the pre-stretch ratio to be increased from 100% to 250%. Film usage per pallet was reduced from 242g to 138g, saving 9t of film annually with a cost benefit of 33%. Use stabilisation adhesives Stabilisation adhesives can be applied to loads at the palletisation stage of the dispatch process. They are available in two forms: 1) Water-based stabilisation adhesive Loads secured with this system are stable to lateral displacement, but easy for operators to break when lifting cases from the load. The quantity of adhesive required per pallet load varies but is insignificant compared to the 200-400g of stretch film for a typical pallet load. 2) Hot melt stabilisation adhesive Hot melt based pallet stabilisation adhesives perform in a similar way to water-based adhesives. However, hot melt is visible on the surface of treated packs and uses around 20-30g of adhesive per pallet. Hot melt glues are applied by heating the adhesive at the point of application and have a higher energy requirement than water-based adhesives. Case study: An animal feed producer switched from stretch wrapping of loads to using Lock n Pop stabilisation adhesives. The change has streamlined the palletisation process by cutting out the need to stretch wrap loads, reducing film usage by 17 tonnes per year.
Try coreless film Coreless films offer advantages such as lower cost and the environmental benefit of eliminating the cardboard core and wasted material on reel ends. Research suggests that the potential cardboard saving, given adoption by the whole sector of coreless film, is 4,620 tonnes per annum. Case study: A multiple retailer with a UK-wide network of distribution facilities tried using pre-stretched 7 micron coreless film, where the film reel is placed onto a detachable handle to apply the film to the load. Implementing this solution removed the need for baling and disposal of 72 tonnes of cardboard cores per annum, and reduced film waste to less than one tonne from the previous 74 tonnes per annum with conventional film. Optimise pallet patterns and wrapping configurations Given the number of variables involved in the wrapping of pallet loads, it is essential to determine optimum pallet pattern and wrapping configurations, as shown in the table below. Criteria Manual wrapping Semi-Automatic Fully Automated Throughput Limited by ability of labour to handle pallet throughput Cost effective in most throughputs greater than 100 pallets per day Requires large throughput to justify capital expenditure Load profile A 1 Suitable Suitable Suitable Load profile B 2 Suitable Suitable Suitable Load profile C 3 Suitable Not recommended Not recommended Flexibility ability to wrap various load types quickly Consistency of film application Film economy Highly flexible Flexible Inflexible Wrapping pattern dependant on operator - may be less consistent at end of day At operator discretion. Likely to apply excessive film in certain situations and can only apply limited tension to film High - operates on a preselected wrapping pattern Operates to preselected pattern and can apply high tension to film resulting in greater economy High - operates on a preselected wrapping pattern Operates to preselected pattern and can apply high tension to film resulting in greater economy Health & Safety High manual handling risks Low H&S risks Low H&S risks Film damage & waste High - due to operator error such as dropped and damaged reels and poor discipline in discarding part used reels Low. Machine not subject to operator error and uses film to end of reel Low. Machine not subject to operator error and uses film to end of reel Capital expenditure Low Medium High Operational costs Labour cost and on-going training required On-going maintenance contracts & energy costs On-going maintenance contracts & energy costs 1 An A profile load is defined as a pallet load where the load footprint is the same size as the pallet, with a uniform shape and no protrusions. 2 A B profile load is defined as a pallet load where the load footprint is different to the size of the pallet, maybe slightly in-bound. The load may also have an irregular shape. 3 A C profile load is defined as a pallet load where the load footprint is significantly different to the size of the pallet. The load may also have a highly irregular shape with many sharp edges or protrusions.
Case study: An international drinks manufacturer produces around 450,000 pallets of product a year from its three UK manufacturing operations. The company formed a working group to take action on film waste and has already seen a number of benefits including reduction of film thickness from 25 to 20 microns and a reduction in packaging spend of 25%. Stage 3: Experiment Conduct some trials You can now start to identify where excessive film use and waste occurs, both in the operation and the supply chain as a whole. Begin by undertaking optimisation exercises, to help you explore a variety of alternative solutions. Use the WRAP Stretch Wrapping Tool, an easy-to-use, Excel-based tool to help you assess the available options. You can download the tool from the WRAP website. Now that you ve found a workable solution, carry out a trial. The following example is a trial to reduce film thickness: Determine how you would benefit from introducing reduced thickness film (e.g. cost saving). Determine the performance requirements of the pallet load by defining a control pallet. Introduce the reduced thickness film to a parallel pallet load as a trial. Reduce film thickness on the trial pallet until stability is lost (compared to the control pallet). Repeat the process on the trial pallet using increased thickness film until stability is regained and the original load performance criteria is met (comparative to the control pallet). Weigh and compare the amount of film applied to each pallet. Implement the change if the original performance criteria are met using a reduced thickness film. Monitor over a defined period of normal activity. Pause for thought 1: This technique can be applied to a variety of film use or application options, for instance: Switching to lightweight film. Using pre-stretched films. Reviewing stabilisation adhesives. Evaluating coreless film for hand wrapping operations. Pause for thought 2: Simple ways you can prevent waste in wrapping operations: Optimise the wrapping pattern. Implement staff training to reduce film waste and film damage. Ensure equipment is well maintained and performing to specification. Train staff to recycle cores and prevent waste film on spent cores. Stage 4: Monitor - Regularly review your requirements Film properties have improved greatly in recent years, and new films may be much more suitable for your operation. Some larger film and wrapping machinery suppliers offer a variety of auditing, consultancy and training services. Take full advantage of these to ensure your film operation is fit for purpose. For hand wrapping operations, review regularly to highlight training needs, monitoring of film waste, product damage and returns arising from wrapping issues. For semi-automated and fully automated, review regularly to ensure that equipment is cleaned and regularly maintained.
Conclusion Increasing the uptake of modern stretch films along with improved wrapping methods presents a real opportunity to reduce the tonnage of stretch film used by substantial amounts. This is estimated to be up to 28% (22Kt) of food and drinks sector stretch film usage with much higher reductions of up to 49% (38Kt) possible by employing alternative pallet stabilising solutions such as adhesive based systems (or combining adhesive systems with reduced stretch film usage). By adopting the simple practices outlined in this guidance there are significant savings to be made in stretch film within the food and drink sector. This can help to cut down waste, improve operations and save you money. While we have tried to make sure this guidance is accurate, we cannot accept responsibility or be held legally responsible for any loss or damage arising out of or in connection with this information being inaccurate, incomplete or misleading. This material is copyrighted. You can copy it free of charge as long as the material is accurate and not used in a misleading context. You must identify the source of the material and acknowledge our copyright. You must not use material to endorse or suggest we have endorsed a commercial product or service. For more details please see our terms and conditions on our website www.wrap.org.uk www.wrap.org.uk