Reusable Crates & Carrier Bags
A practical delivery system that can dramatically reduce the CO2 impact of produce packaging.
Plastic is not always the worse option
Packaging conversations often assume that plastic is always the less sustainable choice. In reality, the environmental impact depends on how the material is used within the full delivery system.
Single-use cardboard trays may look and feel greener, but when they are used in large volumes every day, they require constant manufacturing, transport and recycling. That creates a significant ongoing carbon footprint.
By contrast, our reusable crate system dramatically reduces the amount of packaging moving through the supply chain. Carrier bags allow produce to be left with customers while crates return with our drivers and are used again and again.
When used in this way, the overall system produces far lower emissions than traditional single-use cardboard deliveries.
Why we changed the way we deliver
Traditionally, greengrocers have delivered produce in single-use cardboard trays. We did too. However, we wanted to find a more sustainable long-term alternative.
We explored returnable crate schemes, but like many suppliers, we found that crates were frequently lost when left with customers. This made the system difficult to sustain at scale.
Our solution was to separate the crate from the packaging. Produce is packed into carrier bags inside reusable crates. The produce stays with the customer, while the crates return with our drivers.
This allows us to operate a long-term reusable crate system while eliminating large volumes of single-use cardboard.
5
Boxes Per Day
A customer receiving around five single-use cardboard boxes a day creates a high annual packaging footprint.
1.18t
CO2 Per Year
That level of cardboard use works out at around 1.18 tonnes of CO2 emissions across the year.
0.18t
CO2 Per Year
Switching to reusable crates with carrier bags reduces that annual figure to around 0.18 tonnes.
98%
CO2 Reduction
The result is an estimated 98% reduction in CO2 output compared with the cardboard box model.
Why the crate system works
The big win comes from keeping crates in circulation. Reusable crates mean fewer materials being manufactured, fewer boxes being transported, and far less single-use packaging passing through the system.
The carrier bags make that possible in practical day-to-day use. They allow produce to stay with the customer while the crate comes straight back to us, ready to be used again.
Visible plastic, lower overall impact
Plastic bags are often assumed to be the less sustainable choice, but that is not always true when you look at the full system. In this case, the bags enable a reusable delivery model that dramatically cuts overall emissions.
So although the bags are the part customers see, the bigger sustainability story is what they replace: a constant flow of single-use cardboard trays and the carbon footprint that comes with them.
A smarter long-term packaging system
For Wellington Fresh, this is a practical example of sustainability shaped by real operations. By making reusable crates workable at scale, the carrier bag system helps cut packaging waste, reduce CO2 output and create a more efficient delivery model over the long term.