8/25/2015

Macy’s Stores and Private Brands Partner to Reduce Men’s Shirts Packaging

POSTED UNDER In the Details

Earlier this month, we reported on Macy’s Sustainable Packaging Initiative, where we’re collaborating with key suppliers to reduce waste through strategic packaging. Macy’s Store Operations and Private Brands teams are taking a similar approach, reorganizing stockrooms to eliminate packaging waste in men’s shirts.

Reducing packaging is no simple fix; it affects the supply chain of the shirts, from production to the store shelf. It’s a complex process to work out store logistics, and this project took about a year to get streamlined.

Men’s shirts were previously shipped wrapped in plastic inside individual cardboard boxes. In a move to be more sustainable, Macy’s Private Brands team proposed eliminating these cardboard boxes. But this presented a challenge for the stock rooms; shirts in plastic tend to slide all over the place, making it impossible to keep them in orderly stacks by size, color, etc.

After extensive research and reorganizing our store stockrooms, the Store Operations team worked with Private Brands and found a solution in reusable cardboard bins. This new tote system allows for elimination of the individual cardboard boxes during shipment while keeping the back of house neat and tidy.

These reusable bins were distributed to all stores and a rendering (pictured below) was sent to show how dress shirts should be organized.

Based on 2014 shipment numbers, the Private Brands team estimates a reduction of more than 150,000 pounds of cardboard annually! Not only is this a sustainable win, but it also cuts costs and allows for better stockroom organization.

Sustainable solutions in packaging are around every corner – but they’re also large, time-intensive undertakings involving a lot of cross-functional collaboration. What are some solutions on the horizon? Shrink-wrap, as well as vacuum-sealed packaging are being researched, so stay tuned for updates. In the meantime, hats off to our Store Operations and Private Brands teams for collaborating to make our packaging a little more sustainable.