PACKHELP PACKAGING SERVICES
How Back Market reduced carbon footprint of their packaging 5x and automated order management system with Packhelp?
Back Market wanted to find a compromise between sustainable and secure boxes for their restored electronic devices.
INDUSTRY
NEW TECH
LOCATION
FRANCE
Objectives
Find a compromise between sustainable and secure
Adapt one box to multiple sizes of phones
Find a solution for “send and return” format
Increase the quality of customer experience
Optimise manual order management
Reduce CO2 footprint
Results
Adjusted materials to obtain sturdy yet sustainable box
Invented a flexible packaging construction
Optimised the new box’s dieline to be convenient for returns
Improved boxes’ quality and the unboxing experience
Created a platform for order management with automated workflows
Change of materials, reduction of colour print and size of the box, getting rid of plastic foil
PACKAGING CONSTRUCTION
Repair to new quality
Back Market is on a mission to fight e-waste by giving restored devices a second life. Good cause unless they arrive in broken packaging. In such a case, all the effort to promote a circular economy goes to waste. And waste is something that we both don’t like.
The initial Back Market packaging construction was not optimised in terms of durability and materials (it contained plastic and glue), not to mention the price. The first idea was to replace the faulty packaging with rigid boxes made with thick boards usually overlaid with a printed paper wrap. It’s good enough for Apple. But it wasn’t enough for Backmarket, so we developed a special construction that respects the company’s values and the environment.
Solutions crafted by Packhelp engineers for Back Market
Packaging construction
Fulfillment platform
Longtime collaboration
MATERIAL AND STRUCTURAL DESIGN
Refurbished packaging for refurbished goods
The challenge our engineers and designers faced was to invent a sturdy box that would be suitable for different phone sizes and return-friendly to encourage people to close the loop. Like refurbished smartphones which have 91.6% fewer carbon emissions than new ones, Back Market’s packaging had to be up to standards.
We found the perfect compromise between recycled materials – kraftliner made with more than 80% of virgin fibers outside and testliner made with 100% recycled fibers inside, and impeccable design. We also removed unnecessary colour paint, glue, and plastic foil to meet all the requirements.
We invented a made-to-measure construction that is both flexible, dependable, and can be returned to Back Market with devices that need a lift to start their second life. We finished the design with nothing but a subtle Back Market logo, not to steal the limelight from the devices themselves and the satisfaction they give their new users.
Automated platform for order management
A vital part of limiting Back Market’s carbon footprint was improving their packaging operations. We proposed a platform automating all packaging operations – production, order collection, and fulfillment to achieve both, customers’ and merchants’ satisfaction.
Merchants can source smartphone boxes directly from the platform and decide where the order has to be delivered. The platform ensures that all the packaging is right-sized and the quantities ordered are calculated to be the optimal version for logistics and shipment.
Packhelp supports Backmarket in managing its packaging supply chain and stock effectively. Up to this date, 500k boxes have been already delivered in fully automated workflows to more than 10 countries in 250+ locations. We also take care of packaging compliance, in this case fulfilling Extended Producer Responsibility obligations for Backmarket.
Highlights
5 times
reduced
carbon footprint
500k
boxes
delivered in fully automated workflows
New
construction
suitable for different phone sizes and returns
About Back Market
Back Market is the leading marketplace for refurbished devices. Their mission is to fight e-waste by giving expertly restored devices a second life.
