Development of Collapsible Returnable Packaging for Sustainable E-Commerce of Electronics Products

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The growing e-commerce market for electronics products, accounting for over $20 billion CAD in Canada, has led to the increasing use of single-use packaging materials, arousing environmental concerns regarding the large amount of packaging used in the e-commerce distribution channel. Moreover, nearly 10% (approximately $2 billion CAD) of products in single-use packaging is damaged during distribution annually,4 leading to a high amount of electronics wastes.To begin addressing this issue, Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU; formerly Ryerson University) will build on previous work in sustainable packaging by continuing to emphasize the shipping phase of the packaging lifecycle. We will use cell phone and tablet as the main product category for the study and development of collapsible returnable packaging (CRP) for e-commerce product shipment. The proposed international collaboration with Virginia Tech will support the investigation and development of CRP as a replacement for conventional single-use corrugated cardboard boxes in closed-loop supply chains. The collaborating research teams will thoroughly investigate the physical hazards in the distribution environment, the mechanical interactions between packaging and fruits, and the environmental performance of CRP.The outcomes of the proposed research will be the gathering of important data about the shock and vibration environment of e-commerce distribution channels in Canada, the development of optimal structural design practices for electronics products, the creation of practical and sustainable solutions for designing CRP for other fragile products, and providing enriching training experiences for highly-qualified personnel (HQP) in Canada.