Page 52 - Plastics News Issue October 2025
P. 52
FEATURE NEWS
refuse to take delivery. Addressing these issues Implementing these practices not only helps you
requires adopting and implementing enhanced meet your compliance and sustainability require-
logistics practices, the use of smart technolo- ments. It also helps prevent the loss of valuable
gies. assets. The problem for many processors is en-
suring that these practices are honored by logis-
Packaging and Handling Considerations: tics teams. That’s where trackers come into play.
Preventing Contamination and Damage
Smart Logistics in Action: Sensors, Tracking,
In January 2023, plastic pellets made headlines and Digital Tools
when hundreds of thousands of them began
washing up on French shores. The exact culprit Heat, light, and shock tend to be the biggest
was never found, but it was believed to be the risks when it comes to the safe transportation
result of a lost shipping container in the Atlan- of plastic raw materials. Pellets that are shaken
tic Ocean. Incidents like these are why the lat- loose from their containers can spill, and heat
est guidance on the transportation of plastic raw and light can degrade packaging and raw ma-
materials is so focused on high-quality packag- terials.
ing and handling.
Implementing safe packaging and handling is the
Generally, packaging for plastic raw materials first step to addressing these issues, but tech-
needs to be sealed against dust, moisture, and nology can make tracking the stability of ship-
other contaminants and be able to withstand ments far easier. IoT sensors, for example, are
shocks and multiple loadings. They also need to able to track environmental factors and shock,
be stowed and secured under deck to avoid the as well as location, in real time.
kind of accident mentioned above. Light-sensi-
tive raw materials require UV-resistant packag- The benefit of these trackers is that not only are
ing and products prone to leakage, a secondary shipments tracked, and data captured for com-
containment. pliance purposes (making documentation, etc.,
much easier), but sensors can also be used to
Handling practices to prevent spillage or con- send automated warnings when temperatures
tamination include: or vibrations in transit exceed desired thresh-
olds.
♦ Dedicating specific loading and unloading
equipment to different materials Processors are then able to monitor shipments
♦ Using inner liners on containers and applying throughout the supply chain and ensure that
tamper-evident seals handling remains in line with compliance require-
ments. The data gleaned from sensors can also
♦ Cleaning all mats and equipment thoroughly be used to provide added efficiency and risk
between loads protection insights, especially when paired with
analytics platforms.
52 PLASTICS NEWS October 2025
