Lead the returnable packaging circular economy program

What is going on

Stonefield Packaging supplies single use cardboard and shrink wrapped transit packaging to three customers: a beverage bottler, a regional university's catering service and a distribution business. Stonefield has engaged GreenLoop under project CP-26-043 to lead a redesign to returnable transit packaging with a shared return loop, and wants the business case, the design options and the collaborative arrangement in place by December. GreenLoop's own materials recovery facility receives some of the current packaging as commingled recycling, so baseline data exists in the loads register. Amara Okonkwo is the project director and Fiona Ashcroft wants a plan for the leadership meeting on 16 September.

Your brief

Map the current material flows across the supply chain, establish a measured baseline, design and evaluate returnable packaging and return loop options on life cycle grounds, build the business case with shared costs and benefits, and set up the collaborative arrangement so that every party has clear responsibilities and data sharing.

Work through it

You do not need to do it all. Doing a few of these will show you what the work is like. Your ticks and notes stay on this device.

• Read the sustainability and circular economy policy, the business case template and the client projects register entry for CP-26-043, and record the program scope, the parties and the decision dates.
• Map the current material flows from Stonefield through the three customers to end of life, using the loads register data for the packaging that reaches Eastern Creek, and quantify tonnes, trips and costs.
• Set the baseline for packaging material, emissions, cost and waste per unit delivered, with sources and assumptions recorded.
• Design at least three returnable packaging and return loop options covering crate design, pooling versus ownership, cleaning, reverse logistics and tracking, and assess each across the life cycle including end of life.
• Identify where an option transfers an impact elsewhere in the supply chain, for example extra transport or washing water, and disclose it in the evaluation.
• Build the business case with the shared capital, the savings for each party, the emissions and waste reductions and the payback, using the template.
• Draft the collaborative arrangement setting out the roles, the data each party will share, the measures that will be reported and how disputes will be resolved.
• Prepare the program plan and a one page summary for the leadership meeting, and update CP-26-043 in the client projects register.

What someone in this role would produce

• Supply chain material flow map with baseline data
• Option evaluation across the life cycle
• Completed business case
• Draft collaborative arrangement
• Program plan and leadership summary