Retired California native and inventor Mark Costello, isplasticnecessary.com, has reverse engineered the standard shipping method for bottles and jars.
The standard method of shipping bulk bottles and jars post production is to stretch wrap the pallet before it is shipped to the customer. While working at a major winery in central California, Costello noticed how much plastic was being thrown away after each production run. He also noticed that when a trailer full of glass came into the winery to be unloaded, the glass stacks required up to eleven air bags to hold them in place.
After several designs, he started the process of designing and patenting his version of how glass bottles and jars should be stabilised before shipment. Costello said, “my shipping method will truly make producing single use glass containers environmentally sustainable and will eliminate the need for stretch wrap and airbags currently being used by these facilities.”
Costello also emphasised the importance of being first to change over. “The first glass plant that changes over will experience benefits that their competitors will never see. One of the biggest is having a new tool for the procurement of new customers. A plant can sell the same product without plastic and paper airbags and work out a long term contract where both parties see no loss on their ROI.”