DPD tests reusable shipping packaging for e-commerce at the Hamburg depot

Together with the start-up Boomerang®, DPD Germany has carried out a test run with reusable shipping packaging for e-commerce at Depot 120 in Hamburg. To test the functionality, Boomerang® packs and boxes in various sizes were filled with contents and then ran through a conventional logistics process on various conveyors, sorters and equipment. The result was clear: the Boomerang® packs are compatible with all DPD systems and equipment and function perfectly.

Boomerang® replaces conventional disposable packaging such as cardboard boxes with a reusable alternative that can be reused up to 50 times. The packaging is made of plastic (PP with recycled content) and is therefore very robust. The reusable alternatives can be selected at the participating partner online shops and replace disposable packaging. For return shipment, they can be folded to maxi letter size and returned free of charge via letterboxes and collection points. Behind the reusable packaging is a digital deposit system including return logistics and a cleaning process for reprocessing the packaging.

The responsibility for greener logistics and forward-looking innovations is lived practice at DPD, as the test run with reusable shipping packaging at the Hamburg depot shows. DPD has been shipping all its parcels in a climate-neutral way for more than ten years. The parcel service provider has already set itself the next goal: By 2030 CO2 emissions are to be reduced by at least 43 per cent compared to 2020. DPD is also committed to the net zero target of its parent company Geopost and supports the decarbonisation course, which envisages a 90 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 compared to 2020. In order to achieve these ambitious targets, which have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative, DPD will continue to push cooperations such as the one with Boomerang® in the future. With a clear vision and the willingness to invest continuously in innovation and technology, the parcel service provider is already actively protecting the climate today.

"We are continuously working on optimising our product and service world towards greener logistics. The successful test operation of the Boomerang® packs and boxes at the Hamburg depot is the best example of this. In order to make e-commerce substantially more sustainable, we need a broad social consensus. As a link between retailers and consumers, we have a decisive role to play here. We are aware of this," explains Andreas Thams, Managing Director Sales at DPD Germany.

"It is particularly important for us that large logistics companies like DPD pull together with us. We want to develop packaging that saves a lot of packaging waste and at the same time is compatible with sorting systems and automated processes. In DPD in particular we have found a very innovative partner here who supports the reusable concept and can thus perhaps even take on a pioneering role in the future," says Marc Engelmann, CEO of Boomerang®.