Packaging

Sunol Tech is a global leader in technology and supply chain services and plays an integral role in a global supply chain that moves technology products from manufacturers to end customers. Across our lines of business, we ship approximately 1.5 million per year. Packaging is an essential part of our supply chain. Our customers rightfully expect that the items they order arrive damage-free. To accomplish this, we and other shippers frequently use packaging to protect our products during transit. In our industry, the products come from the manufacturers in what is known as “primary packaging.” The product’s primary packaging may not always be suitable as the only packaging for shipment, so shippers like Sunol Tech use “secondary packaging” for further protection. We use a variety of materials for secondary packaging, primarily corrugated cardboard, mixed-material packaging, such as bubble-lined poly mailers, void fill, label materials, pallets, tape, edge and corner protectors, poly straps and stretch wrap. As of 2021, 86% of our tracked shipping cardboard contains recycled materials. Although much of this secondary packaging is recycled, the use of these materials does have an environmental impact, and as such we are constantly looking at ways to reduce that impact.

Our Strategy

Each time a product moves from one location to another, secondary packaging is frequently needed to protect the product when in transit. In addition to implementing strategies to reduce the use of excess packaging materials, we are also looking at ways to reduce the total number of trips a product must take to reach the customer and to improve how orders are packaged for distribution. Drop Shipping One way we are working to move product more efficiently is by continuing to grow our drop ship service. As a drop ship supplier, we work with our vendors and e-commerrce retailers to fulfill orders placed on their e-commerce .

Reducing Packaging Waste

We are working to reduce the amount of secondary packaging used to ship products by implementing solutions that improve the dimensions of our cartons, help eliminate the use of excess void fill materials, and optimize the selection of media used to ship our products (e.g., mailers and corrugated boxes). Additionally, we are working to increase our use of recycled and renewable materials, while sourcing alternate packaging materials that can be reused or more easily recycled or composted by the end customer. Learn more Reusing and Recycling E-waste Through our IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) and Reverse Logistics (RL) services, we refurbish, resell, and recycle electronic devices received through our take-back services and our circular economy partnerships. This helps us reduce the volume of e-waste generated that may end up in the landfill by extending the life of usable devices and responsibly recycling devices that have reached end-of-life stage.

Improving Waste Diversion in Our Facilities A key step in mitigating the impact of the waste we generate in our operations is to ensure we divert as much of this waste from the landfill as possible through recycling, reuse and donation efforts. Our facilities currently recycle materials like cardboard, pallets, film, paper, plastics, aluminum and glass. We also have measures in place to properly collect and dispose of hazardous waste and universal waste according to local and national waste regulations. We have streamlined our warehouse and office recycling and waste collection programs across our facilities in the United States, with similar actions planned for the remainder of our global operations. Through our recycling efforts, we continue to increase the volume of materials recycled year over year. In addition to our recycling efforts, we also reuse and donate materials and supplies. For example, in our warehouses, we reuse packaging materials like boxes, pallets and edge protectors from incoming shipments in our outgoing shipments.

websites and ship products directly to the customer, eliminating the need for products to travel between manufacturers or suppliers and the retailer. Not only does this cut down on excess product movement, which results in transportation-related carbon emissions, it also reduces the amount of secondary packaging needed to deliver the product to the end customer. Adopting Right-Sizing Solutions It is also important to reduce the amount of packaging used for each shipment. We are continuously looking for innovative ways to minimize the amount of secondary packaging needed to ensure a damage-free delivery. We have adopted right-sizing solutions in our facilities to help us identify the appropriate packaging for the products we ship, with a clear objective of reducing the amount of packaging materials needed, which minimizes the environmental impact. Products that are eligible to be shipped in original vendor packaging are transported without additional secondary packaging. Our packaging algorithm also consolidates products within an order to the minimum amount of packaging required—not only reducing the packaging material but also reducing the number of cartons required to fulfill an order.

Improving Waste Measurement and Reporting To minimize waste generation and improve our waste diversion efforts, it is important that wehave an in-depth understanding of the waste streams across our various facilities. Currently,we track and report the volume of waste generated at each facility, the amount of material that is recycled and the amount of hazardous waste collected. However, we have found thatthis type of information can be difficult to collect compared to other utilities, like electricity orwater. Our goal is to continue to improve our waste collection, measurement and reportingprocesses in order to identify opportunities for continuous improvement in our wastediversion efforts. We are also working to better understand the unique needs and challengesat each facility based on the type of waste generated and the availability of services forrecycling different types of materials.