Panalpina moves toward waste-reducing ‘circular economy’

Panalpina is making strides toward what it is calling a “circular economy,” designed to reduce waste by extending the life of products through reuse, remanufacturing and recycling.

The Swiss forwarder received a grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council to research supply-chain concerns with the circular economy, alongside its research partner Cardiff University and other industry partners. The research is taking place at Panalpina’s Centre for Manufacturing and Logistics Research at the U.K.’s Cardiff Business School, and is being led by Borja Ponte Blanco, who recently published a paper on a similar topic. Blanco said he will present this new research at the CIRP Conference on Manufacturing Systems in Stockholm in May 2018.

Panalpina has also joined the European Remanufacturing Council, which represents companies from all sectors interested in extending product life-cycles with the use of remanufacturing, refurbishment and repair of products. Panalpina is the first logistics company to join the council, which aims to grow European remanufacturing sales from €30 billion to €100 billion by 2030.

In the interest of taking immediate action on waste-reduction, Panalpina already offers its Extended Product Life Cycle Management service to its customers, giving them the option to return, screen and repair products. The service utilizes Panalpina’s global freight forwarding network; logistics and manufacturing facilities; and its supplier network to offer services, including product pick-up and return, in-house screening, remanufacturing, reselling and recycling.

“Our strategy is to enable the circular economy by providing in-house and subcontracted services through which our customers can manage their assets more efficiently,” said Mike Wilson, Panalpina’s global head of logistics and manufacturing.