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

电子产品的电子商务市场日益增长，在加拿大占超过200亿加元，导致使用一次性包装材料的情况越来越多，引起了对电子商务分销渠道中使用的大量包装的环境关注。此外，每年有近10%（约20亿加元）的一次性包装产品在分销过程中损坏，导致大量电子废弃物。为了开始解决这个问题，多伦多城市大学（TMU；前身为瑞尔森大学）将继续强调包装生命周期的运输阶段，以可持续包装方面的先前工作为基础。我们将以手机和平板电脑为主要产品类别，研究和开发用于电子商务产品运输的可折叠可回收包装（CRP）。与弗吉尼亚理工大学拟议的国际合作将支持CRP的研究和开发，作为闭环供应链中传统一次性瓦楞纸箱的替代品。合作研究团队将深入调查配送环境中的物理危害、包装与水果之间的机械相互作用以及CRP的环境性能。该研究的成果将是收集有关加拿大电子商务分销渠道的冲击和振动环境的重要数据，开发电子产品的最佳结构设计实践，为设计其他易碎产品的CRP提供实用和可持续的解决方案，并为加拿大的高素质人才（HQP）提供丰富的培训经验。

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.