OfficeMax managing director Kevin Obern. Photo / Brett Phibbs / Brett Phibbs Visuals
OfficeMax managing director Kevin Obern. Photo / Brett Phibbs / Brett Phibbs Visuals
OfficeMax is using new technology to cut back the mountain of unwanted packaging that has poured into homes and workplaces during Covid-19 lockdowns.
The company says a $1m investment in new machines will minimise packaging and waste for the 45,000 items that leave the firm's distribution centres every week.
OfficeMaxclosed 14 retail stores last year and moved its business online to match customer demand which has seen online shopping increase 25 per cent, according to NZ Post research.
OfficeMax says with online shopping at record rates, customers were facing an "onslaught" of packaging and waste that comes with even the smallest items.
"Packaging is a top concern amongst our customers and this year we have continued to receive questions about what else we can do to reduce the use of plastic in our packaging,'' said OfficeMax managing director, Kevin Obern.
At its Auckland distribution centre two new automated "box making" and lid applicator machines are being used to minimise packaging and waste.
''A New Zealand first, the machines use smart technology to create unique boxes custom-designed to fit the contents of individual orders, removing the need for excess packaging,'' he said.
In Auckland and Christchurch, OfficeMax has also invested in cardboard shredders or void-fill shredder machines that recycle cardboard onsite, converting it into "void fill" to protect delicate, fragile or dangerous goods while removing the need for plastic pillows.
It says the initiatives will reduce plastic void-fill by 100 per cent, eliminating 1.7 million plastic pillows, the equivalent to 1700kg of plastic from landfills every year.
To cut greenhouse gas emissions, OfficeMax has installed 798 solar panels on top of its Auckland distribution centre, providing sustainable energy efficiency across the site.
When installed it was estimated that the panels would provide 22.5 per cent of the site's power, but as of June 2021 the site is already using 26 per cent self-generated power from these panels.
"Electricity use makes up 25 per cent of our greenhouse gas emissions profile, so we are continually looking into ways we can reduce our consumption and become smarter in the way we operate," said Obern.
It has also replaced all LPG-powered equipment from its fleet and now has 60 electric mechanical handling machines across its two distribution centres to help reduce carbon emissions.
The carton erector machines at OfficeMax in Auckland. Photo / Brett Phibbs / PhibbsVisuals
In its sustainability report, the company says at the same time, its customers' product and service needs were evolving fast.
With fewer people in offices, orders for items such as coffee and stationery supplies reduced significantly, while demand for health, technology, safety and hygiene products increased exponentially.
Online ordering grew rapidly since Covid-19 hit and this has been sustained with around 40 per cent of new customers who discovered the company during lockdown continuing to order online.
The company says this led to the "difficult" decision to close retail stores which became "extremely unprofitable" and undermined the business.
It claimed wage subsidies of $4.45 million last year for 635 staff.
OfficeMax New Zealand Limited is owned by Platinum Equity, a US-based private equity firm with a global portfolio of companies across diverse industries.
