Cardboard box firm Exporta has launched a collapsible cardboard crate targeting the air cargo market.
Exporta said it decided to launch the crate after it identified a gap in the market for a lightweight, but robust and reusable, crate.
The company said that when combined with a lightweight plastic pallet, the crates can "significantly reduce the volumetric cost of shipping by air".
"These crates are far lighter than any wooden or plastic crate and much stronger than a regular cardboard box – the toughest can take 500kg stacked on top – and because they are collapsible, they can be shipped back to the source in stacks, saving on return costs," Exporta said.
"Reusable and returnable box and crate solutions are gradually becoming the most viable transportable packaging solution because of the environmental implications and long-term cost savings. Single-use plastics and cardboard products are initially cheaper to purchase but, over an extended period, they will fail."
The cardboard crates are pallet boxes made from "very strong" 15mm or 25mm reinforced cardboard.
