Is it just a flavour of the month, this zero-plastic idea?

Experts are saying, No, it’s not just a flavour of the month, but rather it’s a global reality we need to address. And there are some compelling numbers to make everyone take more responsibility to do their bit, e.g. According to a recent WWF article, Australians use 130kg of plastic per person each year, of which only 12% is recycled.

Daywalk has been on the sustainability journey for some time and are constantly innovating and developing in the space of reusable covers.

What is the point of reusable covers and what are the advantages that are brought to the market?

Reduce Plastic Waste

One of the major advantages is that reusable covers reduce the amount of wasted plastic that is produced because of single use applications; a reusable cover can be used for multiple pieces of equipment, on multiple occasions.

Stop the “Plastic-Cutters”

Furthermore, the industry is frustrated with the common practice of slitting of plastic covers to check what is inside the wrap. Even if there is a zip or a viewing panel, the inherent habit is to simply cut the plastic before looking for any access points, labels or other markings.

On the other hand, Daywalk’s technical team has found that the canvas or similar outer material that make up reusable covers, commands respect from the guys on the hunt – cutter in hand. Instead of trying to slit the canvas or similar material, the operator is inclined to look for a zip or an access point.

Improve Visibility for Transport teams

The other major pain point that industry continues to face is that of needing assurance that the component is attached to the pallet or frame in a CoR (Chain of Responsibility) compliant manner. When the unit is covered with a UV block heat shrink plastic there is poor visibility as to the bolting or strapping that has or hasn’t been done inside the wrapped article. This can sometimes lead to Load restraint teams cutting the plastic to ensure that the CoR obligations are being met – a further compromise to the integrity of the preservation system.

Reusable covers, in contrast, allow for easy inspections by simply unzipping or unwrapping. They also have the option of having eyelets or access points so that the bolts or lashing points can be protruding through the cover and thus giving absolute visibility to the load restraint teams as to adequate restraint.

So, reusable covers not only address concerns about single use plastics, but they are a more robust preservation system, giving teams more visibility at the same time. Could reusable covers become the “shrink film” of the