Wegmans Adopting Reusable Containers for Case-Ready Meat

Wegmans Food Markets has tapped Tosca, a provider of reusable packaging and supply chain solutions, to ship the grocer’s case-ready meat products in reusable plastic containers (RPCs). The new packaging will enable Wegmans to prevent more than 1 million pounds of corrugated packaging from entering the supply stream, as part of the grocer’s overall commitment to sustainability.

“We need to ensure packaging is functional and performs as expected, but we also want it to be environmentally responsible,” explained Jason Wadsworth, Wegmans’ category merchant, packaging and sustainability. “Switching to RPCs help us reach our sustainability goals by eliminating a significant amount of packaging waste.”

As well as their sustainability benefits, RPCs offer transportation efficiencies. Because of its superior strength and structural integrity, the packaging allows for higher stacking and improved cube use. This results in more product per pallet, more product per truck and fewer trucks on the road.

“Tosca is dedicated to helping retailers optimize their supply chain, but decreasing costs is only one piece of the puzzle for retailers that have aggressive sustainability goals,” noted Eric Frank, president and CEO of Atlanta-based Tosca, which also provides solutions for eggs, poultry, produce and cheese. “That’s why we’re excited to partner with Wegmans — not only will we help them reach their sustainable packaging goals, but we’ll also help them lower transportation costs, reduce shrink and improve product quality at the same time.”

Family-owned Wegmans operates 99 stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Massachusetts. The Rochester, N.Y.-based company is No. 16 on Progressive Grocer’s 2019 list of the top grocers in the United States.