Nobody knows who has it.
Thousands of boxes sit in homes and offices. The webshop cannot say which consumer or client holds which one.
Q · A
How does Rotion work for reusable e-commerce packaging?
Rotion gives every reusable box, tote, mailer or bag its own code and ties it to the order it ships with. Each handover after that is a scan: the carrier, the return point, the business client and your return hub. You see which packages are still out, who holds them and for how long, and the same scans run deposits and the reuse figures PPWR asks for.
- Every package tied to its order
- Returns by driver, return point or post
- B2C and B2B in one system
01The problem
Packaging that ships out and stays out.
A reusable box only pays off when it makes its trips. Without a record per package, nobody knows where the missing ones went.
Returns arrive anonymous.
A box comes back by post or through a store. Without a scan, the deposit cannot go back to the right person.
Losses look like a cost of doing business.
You buy more packaging every quarter and cannot tell whether the leak is a route, a client or a return point.
02Closed loop
Everyone who handles a package.
An order leaves in a reusable box and comes back by one of several routes. Each handover is a scan, so the package always has a holder.
- 01Fulfilment center
Scans each package at the packing table. The scan ties it to the order number.
- 02Carriers
Deliver orders and take empties back on the next round. Custody moves with each scan.
- 03Consumers
Keep the package until they return it. They need no app and no account.
- 04Return points
Take returns over the counter. Where there is no reader, the consumer scans the package and the return point code.
- 05Business clients
See the boxes at their sites in their own portal, and request a pickup or drop empties off.
- 06Wash partner
Checks and cleans returned packages and logs each wash cycle.
03Two loops
Consumers and clients, one record.
A consumer order and a business delivery leave the same packing table. They come back by different routes, and Rotion follows both.
Shipped9,420
Back8,675
Still out745
B2C · Webshop to consumerB2B · Supplier to business client
Webshop to consumer
- Packing table
- Carrier
- Consumer
- Return
- Return hub
- Shipped
- 6,240
- Back
- 5,710
- Still out
- 530
- Median days out
- 16
Return routes
- Driver pickup at the next delivery2,39042% of returns
- Store or return point2,47043% of returns
- By post85015% of returns
Supplier to business client
- Packing table
- Own delivery
- Client site
- Pickup
- Return hub
- Shipped
- 3,180
- Back
- 2,965
- Still out
- 215
- Median days out
- 9
Return routes
- Taken back on the next delivery2,41081% of returns
- Pickup requested in the portal38013% of returns
- Dropped at a return point or store1756% of returns
Sample data. Shipped and back count packages scanned this month.
Field results from operators running Rotion across pools, retail and industry.
28%
S.01fewer assets lost
9%
S.02smaller fleet needed
575,310
S.03assets tracked
Trusted by these organizations.
04How it works
Packing table to packing table.
Your team, the drivers and the return points scan with any phone or the readers they already have. Consumers scan only where a return point has no reader.
- 01
Pack
The packing scan ties the package to the order number from your WMS, ERP or webshop.
- 02
Deliver
The carrier takes the order out. Business clients confirm receipt in their portal.
- 03
Return
The driver takes it back on the next delivery, or the customer drops it at a store, a return point or the post office.
- 04
Check and clean
The return hub checks each package, logs the wash and puts it back on the packing line.
05Business clients
Each client sees its own boxes.
A business client logs in to its own portal and sees the boxes at each of its sites. It requests a pickup or drops empties off, and you charge for the boxes that never come back.
Client portalClient 14
Boxes on site462
| Site | Boxes on site | Oldest |
|---|---|---|
| Antwerp workshop | 38 | 6 days |
| Ghent sitePickup requested for Fri, Oct 23 | 412 | 49 days |
| Mechelen office | 12 | 3 days |
| Total | 462 |
Sample data. The client sees only its own sites. Charges follow your agreement with each client.
06Platform
Control per package.
Who holds what
Every package per consumer, client, route and return point, updated with each scan.
Read more
Overdue packages
Autopilot flags packages that stay out too long, per order or per client.
Read more
Deposits
A deposit per package, charged with the order and released on the return scan.
Read more
Reuse figures
Trips per package and the reuse share per format, from the same scans.
Read more07Autopilot
It notices first.
Autopilot watches every scan in your loop, flags what is going wrong, proposes the fix with its reasoning, and acts once you approve.
How Autopilot works412 boxes shipped to Client 14 in August are still at its sites.
Why
Client 14 returns 96% of its boxes within 21 days. Since its Ghent site opened on 2 September, nothing has come back from there, and the driver has not scanned a pickup.
Proposes
Propose a pickup at the Ghent site with the next delivery, and ask Client 14 to confirm the count in its portal.
ApproveEditconfidence 92%
Boxes back in the loop412
Sample dataWhere to go next.
Q.01Do consumers need an app?
No. Most returns are scanned by the driver, the store or the return point. Where a return point has no reader, the consumer scans the code on the package and the code at the return point with their phone camera. That scan marks the package as returned and releases the deposit.
Q.02How does a package get back from a consumer?
By one of three routes: the driver takes it back on the next delivery, the consumer drops it at a store or return point, or posts it back. Each route ends in a scan, and your return hub checks the package before it is packed again.
Q.03What if packages are not linked to a consumer?
Some retailers do not link a package to the person who receives it. Rotion then counts per retailer: packages out and packages back, by post and every other route, as a running balance. Reminders to consumers need the link to the order.
Q.04Can business clients see the boxes at their sites?
Yes. Each client gets a login to its own portal with the packages at each of its sites. It can request a pickup, or drop empties at your return points or stores. Packages that do not come back become a charge line per client, exported or pushed to invoicing.
Q.05What does PPWR ask of e-commerce packaging?
From 1 January 2030, at least 40% of the transport packaging an operator uses in the listed formats, e-commerce packaging included, must be reusable within a reuse system, with an aim of 70% by 2040 (Article 29(1)). Deliveries to another company in the same member state must be 100% reusable from 2030 (Article 29(3)). Cardboard boxes are exempt (Article 29(4)). From 2030 or later, e-commerce packaging may hold at most 50% empty space (Article 24).
Q.06How do we start?
Start with one packaging type from one fulfilment center, for example the boxes you ship to business clients. Put a code on each, scan at packing and at return, then add consumer orders and return points on the same setup. Most teams go live in weeks.
