IFCO Systems achieves milestone of shipping one billion reusable plastic containers annually from producers to retail locations throughout the world; number represents more than 20 years of growth for company

Elyse Blye

TAMPA, Florida , June 12, 2014 (press release) – IFCO is pleased to announce the achievement of a significant milestone this fiscal year: one billion annual reusable plastic container (RPC) shipments from producers to retail locations throughout the world. The record number represents more than 20 years of growth for IFCO RPCs and confirms the benefits retailers and grower-shippers continue to see from IFCO solutions.

“We are excited to share this momentous achievement with our customers, partners and employees,” said Wolfgang Orgeldinger, CEO of IFCO, “Our growth is a testament to the value IFCO RPCs offer the fresh supply chain in each of IFCO’s 29 countries of operation.” IFCO owns and operates its RPC business in North America, South America, Europe, and Africa, and operates via joint venture in Asia.

RPCs reduce environmental impact, food waste, and supply chain costs for producers and retailers throughout the world. The annual environmental impact of shipping one billion cases of fresh produce in RPCs instead of cardboard boxes is equal to the elimination of:

CO2 emissions of nearly 75,000 vehicles1
Solid waste generated by over 400,000 people2
Water consumed by nearly 600,000 people3

In addition to lower environmental impact, the IFCO RPC system lowers supply chain costs and product damage. Over the course of one billion shipments annually, IFCO RPCs eliminate over 4,000 metric tonnes of food waste caused by product damage4, enough to provide over 2.7 million people with the five servings of fruit and vegetables recommended daily – for a full year.

With more than 180 million RPCs in circulation, IFCO is the leading provider of reusable containers to the fresh food sector worldwide. IFCO handles all RPC logistics, from distributions to cleaning to re-entry into the supply chain. After retail use, IFCO RPCs are folded, collected and shipped back to one of IFCO’s service facilities, where they are sanitized and prepared for re-use.

Additional Information

IFCO is an international logistics service provider with more than 210 locations worldwide. IFCO operates a pool of over 180 million Reusable Plastic Containers (RPCs) globally, which are used primarily to transport fresh produce from growers to leading grocery retailers. IFCO is a Brambles Company.

About Brambles

Brambles Limited (ASX:BXB) is a supply-chain logistics company operating in more than 50 countries, primarily through the CHEP and IFCO brands. The Group specialises in the pooling of unit-load equipment and associated services, focusing on the outsourced management of pallets, crates and containers, primarily to the consumer goods, dry grocery, fresh food, retail and general manufacturing supply chains. In addition, Brambles owns specialist businesses serving the automotive, aviation and refining sectors. Brambles employs more than 13,500 people and owns approximately 450 million pallets, crates and containers through a network of more than 850 service centres. For further information, please visit www.brambles.com.

1 www.stiftungmehrweg.de/calculator

2 worldbank.org

3 epa.gov

4 May 2013 packaging damage study by Fraunhofer IML and the University of Bonn

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