Furniture Manufacturer Reduces Plastic Waste with Reusable Stillage Wraps
Case Study: Furniture Manufacturer Reduces Plastic Waste with Reusable Stillage Wraps
Client: Mike Napthine
Region: UK, Europe, USA
Solution by: Palband – Reusable Solutions for Reliable Logistics
Overview
A global furniture manufacturer, moving thousands of flat-packed items across the UK, Europe and the USA, was struggling with the inefficiencies of using shrink wrap to secure heavy boxes inside metal stillages. Every stillage required multiple layers of plastic, applied by hand, which took time and created unnecessary waste.
Across thousands of deliveries, this reliance on single-use wrap conflicted with the company’s growing sustainability commitments. Inconsistent application between sites meant loads were not always evenly secured, and movement in transit occasionally led to damaged goods and costly returns. The process was also slow and labour-intensive, with warehouse teams walking around each stillage up to 20 times just to get the wrap tight enough.
- Excessive Plastic Waste: The sheer volume of shrink wrap used on every stillage—across thousands of deliveries—generated a significant amount of single-use plastic waste. This clashed with the company’s growing focus on sustainability and their commitment to reducing environmental impact.
- Inconsistent Application: Shrink wrap was often applied unevenly across sites and by different teams, leading to unpredictable levels of security.
- Product Damage: Inadequate or loose wrapping occasionally allowed heavy boxes to shift during transport. This led to goods arriving damaged or, in some cases, completely unsellable—impacting both customer satisfaction and financial performance.
Our Solution
Palband worked closely with the client to replace the outdated system with a durable, reusable stillage side solution, built specifically for their frame designs and logistics routes. Using our Stillage Wraps and Sides, we created a system that prioritised safety, consistency and long-term sustainability.
Each wrap was engineered from robust materials and reinforced for daily use in a busy warehouse environment. Secure, uniform fastenings ensured every stillage was safely contained with no variation in application, while the design allowed easy access for loading, unloading and inspection. The result was a neater, faster process that eliminated the frustration of uneven shrink wrapping and the waste it produced.
“Our goal was to design something that solved several problems at once – improving safety, reducing waste, and speeding up the process,” said Mike Napthine, Client Solutions Lead at Palband. “By looking closely at how the stillages were used day to day, we could create a system that genuinely made a difference.”
By removing shrink wrap from their operation entirely, the manufacturer not only improved handling efficiency but also cut down on hundreds of tonnes of plastic waste each year. The change supported their wider ESG goals and demonstrated a practical, scalable step toward a more sustainable logistics model.
The Results
- Plastic waste reduced by over 90% on stillage-wrapped shipments
- Significant drop in product damage and transport-related complaints
- Faster, more consistent loading and unloading processes
- Clear cost savings within the first year of implementation
“Palband’s reusable stillage sides helped us cut single-use plastic and reduce damage during transport. The system is faster for the team, tidier in transit, and robust enough for daily operations,”
Mike Napthine, Client Solutions Lead, Palband
