RPCS AND CORRUGATED VIE FOR FAVOR OF PRODUCE SHIPPERS AND SUPERMARKETS

Tom Zind

NEW YORK -- As the battle of the boxes in the fresh produce industry rages on, each side is being careful not to box itself in.

Through their respective associations, the firmly established corrugated shipping container industry and the relative upstart returnable plastic container industry continue trying to woo produce growers and their supermarket customers.

But as both industries tout their products' comparative advantages, they're also showing signs of setting aside their differences to address the larger concerns of container efficiency and compatibility -- sought by both shippers and retailers.

Cooperation and competition were most recently on display in a head-to-head test of containers for the California strawberry industry. The Fibre Box Association and the Reusable Pallet and Container Coalition participated in tests last summer designed to measure how well both corrugated and RPCs protect and preserve highly perishable fresh strawberries.

The California Strawberry Commission authorized the tests, conducted at the University of California-Davis, as part of the process of moving toward adoption of new consumer packaging that will conform to a new standardized shipping container footprint. Major supermarket chains are leading a charge to encourage such a standard in a bid to maximize shipping container compatibility on pallets and end the flood of containers of differing shapes and sizes.

The initial verdict was music to the corrugated industry's ears. Results appeared to show that corrugated handily beat RPCs in cool-down time, resulted in less product bruising, and allowed more product to fit on a pallet. Up until that time, plastic containers were thought to be superior, particularly with respect to product cooling.

Dwight Schmidt, executive director of the recently formed Corrugated Packaging Alliance, hailed the test results as clear evidence of the superiority of both corrugated and the so-called Corrugated Common Footprint, a packaging configuration standard the corrugated industry is promoting as a template for a solution to container compatibility challenges.

"Faster cooling time, optimized pallet loads, and reduced bruising as measured by an independent, objective third party, all provide credible, reliable evidence that the Corrugated Common Footprint is the best standard package alternative for strawberries," he said.

Fast-forward several months. In December, researchers backtracked, saying the tests gave no clear nod to corrugated containers in terms of cooling time. An RPCC news release played up the revised findings, which were based on a review of study methodology. Quoting a study team member -- University of California-Davis agricultural engineer James Thompson -- the release said the study now showed "no measurable difference in the cooling of strawberries packed in corrugated fiberboard or returnable plastic containers."

In light of the revised findings, the CPA chose to play up the other undisputed advantages of corrugated, while downplaying the cooling issue.

"The initial results showed that strawberries packed in Corrugated Common Footprint containers suffer less bruising, and can fit more product per pallet than RPCs," said Schmidt, adding that the cooling tests were essentially inconclusive. "In the end, one would surmise that there is no significant difference in cooling rate [between corrugated and RPCs]."

But RPCC President Ken Smith hailed the revised verdict, saying in a news release, "We are pleased that the studies prove the viability of returnable containers for shipping strawberries. Now shippers have a proven alternative to corrugated fiberboard."

While clarity on the performance merits of corrugated and plastic remains elusive, there's no uncertainty regarding the need for a solution to the matter of container compatibility standards. In the past year, more large supermarket chains have begun laying down the law on shipping container configuration. Last February, Sam's Club and Supervalu instituted new guidelines on shipping container use. Sam's Club began requiring its produce suppliers to use corrugated containers that conform to the Corrugated Common Footprint, where possible. Supervalu also called for more modular corrugated, but left the door open to accepting modular RPCs for some products.

So with pressure building for more conformity, the corrugated and RPC industries are recognizing the need to work together, even as they continue pushing the merits of their own container solutions. RPCC spokesman Eric Fredrickson, who also is sales and marketing manager for a leading plastic container supplier, IPL Products Ltd., told SN that RPC container manufacturers are eager to work more closely with the corrugated industry to ensure that both types of containers have a future in the increasingly modular world envisioned by efficiency-fixated retailers and produce suppliers.

"The next step as we see it is for the RPC and the corrugated industry to engage in some joint testing of RPCs and corrugated containers with compatible features," Fredrickson said. "If that testing is positive, the RPC industry is more likely to adopt that as a standard. The goal should be to get RPCs more compatible both with each other, as well as with corrugated. That will be key for the ability of RPCs to penetrate more markets in produce."

The Corrugated Packaging Alliance, meanwhile, said despite the RPC industry's recent inroads, corrugated remains the standard for shipping produce. Consequently, the RPC industry needs to work on adapting its containers to the Corrugated Common Footprint standard being embraced by retailers.

"At this point in time, we understand that there are only two RPC suppliers producing containers that are also compatible with the Corrugated Common Footprint," Schmidt said. "None of the other manufacturers' RPCs are compatible with one another, let alone with our footprint. This is a problem for the RPC industry and for the retailers seeking compatible container systems."