DC Velocity - February 2019

inbound

It’s the rare problem that has just one solution. A case in point is the mounting consumer backlash against the plastic “six-pack rings” used for beverages, which can pose a choking hazard for wildlife and contribute to the growing problem of plastic waste.

Now comes word of two beverage companies—both brewers— that have solved the plastic problem, but in very different ways.

One, the Danish brewing giant Carlsberg, is ditching the six-pack rings altogether. In their place, it will use spots of glue to hold the aluminum cans together. Three years in the making, the new “Snap Packs” reduce the amount of plastic used in traditional multipacks by up to 76 percent, Carlsberg says. The company adds that the switch will cut plastic waste globally by more than 1,320 tons a year—the equivalent of 60 million plastic bags.

The other brewer kept the rings but ditched the plastic. Delray Beach, Fla., microbrewer Saltwater Brewery has replaced the traditional plastic six-pack ring with an eco-friendly version that’s both edible and biodegradable. The rings, which are made of barley and wheat ribbons from the brewing process, can be safely eaten by animals, according to the company. Available now in Florida stores, the new beer packs help consumers enjoy a cold one without producing litter that can harm marine life, the brewer says.

Saving the planet
one six-pack ring at a
time?

Here’s our monthly roundup of some of the charitable works and donations by companies in the material handling and logistics space:

b Logistics management, brokerage, and technology services provider PLS Logistics Services has partnered with the Kids In Need Foundation by giving an in-kind donation of its technology and supplying a classroom in the Pittsburgh area through the organization’s new “Supply a Classroom” program. The Kids In Need Foundation distributes school supplies to students in economically challenged communities nationwide.

b Cummins Inc., a manufacturer of power-generation products, and forklift distributor Toyota Material Handling North America teamed up to donate $20,000 to four charities in Bartholomew County, Indiana. The funds were distributed to the Salvation Army, Lincoln-Central Family Neighborhood Center, United Way 2-1-1, and the Columbus, Ind., Firemen’s Cheer Fund.

b As part of a companywide celebration for surpassing $3 billion in sales revenue in 2018, freight brokerage firm Total Quality Logistics (TQL) gave $81,000 in grants to nonprofits across the nation. TQL employees were allowed to select the grant recipients.

b Employees of transportation company CFI once again played the role of Santa Claus by supporting charities in eight cities across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada through the company’s annual “Truckloads of Treasures” holiday giving campaign. The 2018 campaign raised

$46,000 through contributions from employees and independent contractors.

b In 2018, forklift manufacturer The Raymond Corp.’s Sales & Service Center network contributed to over 150 nonprofit and educational organizations with money, forklift donations, and volunteer hours. The recipients included the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, the American Cancer Society, and Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America.

Logistics gives back
You’ve heard of street smarts.
How about smart streets?

Self-driving vehicles seem to make the headlines every week, whether it’s for something positive (like safely hauling a trailer of beer down Interstate 25 in Colorado) or negative (like involvement in a pedestrian fatality). Right now, all of these autonomous vehicles rely on the same basic technology elements, like sensors and machine learning, for navigation. As the industry matures, however, it will increasingly use another form of enabling technology that’s not even incorporated into the vehicle itself—smart streets.

One example of what those may look like can be found in Las Vegas, where the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) reportedly has become the first road authority in the world to digitize its streets—or to be precise, its local rules of the road—for highly automated vehicles (HAVs). The RTC used Inrix’s “Road Rules” platform to digitize local restrictions such as speed limits, crosswalks, school zones, and stop signs in two busy areas, according to the vendor.