Bakery Doubles Output with Reusable Pallet Wraps That Eliminate Plastic Waste
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 busy bakery was relying on single-use plastic shrink wrap to secure pallets of totes filled with dough left to prove for several hours before baking. Every pallet required multiple passes with plastic film, creating large volumes of waste and adding unnecessary time to a process that needed to move quickly between preparation and oven loading. The approach was clearly unsustainable, and the team asked Palband to help find a better way that would eliminate single-use plastic while keeping the proving operation flowing smoothly.
- 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 designed a reusable pallet wrapping system built around our Reusable Pallet Wraps. Each wrap was tailored to the bakery’s pallet dimensions and typical tote heights, with a simple fastening layout so crews could secure a load in a single walk-round rather than the twenty laps required with plastic film. Options for colour coding and clear document wallets supported rapid identification and batch control during busy production windows, while durable materials ensured the wraps stood up to constant daily handling and frequent changeovers between proving and bake-off.
“We set out to make the right method the easiest method,” said Mike Napthine, Client Solutions Lead at Palband. “If a wrap goes on in seconds, stays secure in motion, and comes off just as quickly at the oven, teams keep using it day after day.”
The Results
- Single-use plastic wrap removed entirely from pallet proving and movement
- Wrapping time cut to a single pass per pallet, reducing fatigue and delays
- Consistent presentation and faster changeovers during peak production periods
- The bakery has doubled capacity using the reusable system.
“Switching to reusable pallet wraps removed 100 percent of the plastic film and made wrapping a one-lap task, helping the team move from proving to bake-off faster and with less waste,”
Mike Napthine, Client Solutions Lead, Palband.
