GUILT-FREE SHOPPING - CIRCULAR PACKAGING PAVES THE WAY FOR SUSTAINABLE PURCHASES
2024/08/05
World-class Circular Ecosystem
Through its proprietary circular packaging system and range of green products and services, PackAge+
connects cross-sector businesses and consumers to create a world-class circular ecosystem together.
It seeks to assist enterprises in utilizing this green logistics model to find new ways and approaches for implementing ESG practices.
PackAge+ founder and CEO Yeh Te-wei (center) and team
Through its proprietary circular packaging system and range of green products and services, PackAge+ connects cross-sector businesses and consumers to create a world-class circular ecosystem together. It seeks to assist enterprises in utilizing this green logistics model to find new ways and approaches for implementing ESG practices.
Choosing a Different Path to Build a Circular Packaging Ecosystem
“Before founding PackAge+, we used to run an e-commerce company where our business model involved buying cardboard boxes at high prices from users, cleaning them, and then using these second-hand boxes to ship for other small-scale sellers. However, customers purchasing cosmetics couldn't accept second-hand cardboard box packaging, leading to some complaints. Moreover, the variability in the sources of second-hand cardboard boxes made it difficult to find suitable sizes for shipping. So, we started thinking, could we create attractive, durable, and environmentally-friendly reusable packaging, similar to the concept of shared bicycles being circulated among different people..." Yeh De-wei, founder and CEO of PackAge+, talks about how the circular packaging system receiving widespread attention across industries today originated from the crisis of a small e-commerce company’s survival.
Cooperating clients already include over 100 brands, such as e-commerce platforms, convenience stores, hypermarkets, and pharmacies, with approximately 920,000 circular packages circulating in the online shopping
market. (Image provided by PackAge+) PackAge+ collaborates with convenience store channels to create a convenient process for pickup and return.
Step 1. Pick up the package, either at the store or at home.
Step 2. Scan the stores QR code upon return.
Step 3. Scan the circular packaging QR code.
Step 4. Present the screen page and hand over the circular packaging to the store clerk.
Yeh established PackAge+ with the intention of taking a completely different approach. After completing the angel round of startup fundraising, they decided to further validate the market through crowdfunding. Fortunately,
they achieved successful results. PackAge+ not only generated buzz but also attracted the notice of potential customers. Then, in 2022, the Environmental Protection Administration announced the Implementation Methods for Restriction of Internet Shopping Packaging, which would be implemented the following year. It requires e-commerce, retail, and logistics companies with capital exceeding NT$150 million or with over 500 pickup points to achieve a 2% usage rate of reusable packaging by 2024, 8.5% by 2025, and 15% by 2026. Yeh’s carefully crafted circular ecosystem thus found fertile ground, leading to the emergence of both buyout and leasing models that cater to the diverse needs of different types of customers, achieving reduction in plastic and waste and solving certain environmental issues.
Joining Forces with Chain Retail Brands to Cover Recycling Points Across Taiwan
As cooperation with clients expands and diversifies, PackAge+ has already established over 4,700 recycling points for its circular packaging, boosting overall usage to 920,000 times, equivalent to a tangible reduction of 920,000 cardboard boxes. This echoes Yeh's consistent mission belief - "Taiwan has a high density of chain stores, and Taiwanese people are accustomed to recycling resources. It's very suitable for turning Taiwan into
a sustainable circular island, replacing disposable packaging wherever possible." Yeh points out that since semiconductor processes require high levels of cleanliness and dust protection, many plastic products can only be used once. Recycled plastics are made into circular packaging, which is then reused by factories. Through both "reduction" and "offsetting" measures, they assist in achieving carbon neutrality goals.
The cleaning and disinfection of circular packaging are carried out in collaboration with social welfare organizations, providing job opportunities for vulnerable groups. (Image provided by PackAge+)
Seizing Asian and Global Business Opportunities, Limitless Possibilities Lie in the Future
Therefore, looking ahead to PackAge+'s next steps, there are many exciting possibilities. Not only can this circular packaging ecosystem be replicated in other densely populated East Asian countries with chain stores similar to Taiwan, but it can also collaborate with Taiwanese semiconductor and major tech companies to implement circular packaging services in Southeast Asian manufacturing zones, such as Singapore,
Vietnam, and Malaysia, seizing over $260 billion in Asian packaging opportunities as a starting point for expanding overseas markets.
In the future, connecting with carbon trading mechanisms, sustainable behaviors, such as using circular packaging and purchasing environmentally friendly consumables by consumers or businesses can be further monetized as carbon credits, aligning with the $53 billion global carbon trading market. Then, "building a world-class circular ecosystem" will not just be a slogan, but an achievable future, creating a significant international impact that cannot be underestimated.
The circular box and bag have now been upgraded to the third generation, demonstrating the ambitious goal of replacing all cardboard boxes and making Taiwan a sustainable circular island. (Image provided by PackAge+)
connects cross-sector businesses and consumers to create a world-class circular ecosystem together.
It seeks to assist enterprises in utilizing this green logistics model to find new ways and approaches for implementing ESG practices.
PackAge+ founder and CEO Yeh Te-wei (center) and team
Through its proprietary circular packaging system and range of green products and services, PackAge+ connects cross-sector businesses and consumers to create a world-class circular ecosystem together. It seeks to assist enterprises in utilizing this green logistics model to find new ways and approaches for implementing ESG practices.
Choosing a Different Path to Build a Circular Packaging Ecosystem
“Before founding PackAge+, we used to run an e-commerce company where our business model involved buying cardboard boxes at high prices from users, cleaning them, and then using these second-hand boxes to ship for other small-scale sellers. However, customers purchasing cosmetics couldn't accept second-hand cardboard box packaging, leading to some complaints. Moreover, the variability in the sources of second-hand cardboard boxes made it difficult to find suitable sizes for shipping. So, we started thinking, could we create attractive, durable, and environmentally-friendly reusable packaging, similar to the concept of shared bicycles being circulated among different people..." Yeh De-wei, founder and CEO of PackAge+, talks about how the circular packaging system receiving widespread attention across industries today originated from the crisis of a small e-commerce company’s survival.
Cooperating clients already include over 100 brands, such as e-commerce platforms, convenience stores, hypermarkets, and pharmacies, with approximately 920,000 circular packages circulating in the online shopping
market. (Image provided by PackAge+) PackAge+ collaborates with convenience store channels to create a convenient process for pickup and return.
Step 1. Pick up the package, either at the store or at home.
Step 2. Scan the stores QR code upon return.
Step 3. Scan the circular packaging QR code.
Step 4. Present the screen page and hand over the circular packaging to the store clerk.
Yeh established PackAge+ with the intention of taking a completely different approach. After completing the angel round of startup fundraising, they decided to further validate the market through crowdfunding. Fortunately,
they achieved successful results. PackAge+ not only generated buzz but also attracted the notice of potential customers. Then, in 2022, the Environmental Protection Administration announced the Implementation Methods for Restriction of Internet Shopping Packaging, which would be implemented the following year. It requires e-commerce, retail, and logistics companies with capital exceeding NT$150 million or with over 500 pickup points to achieve a 2% usage rate of reusable packaging by 2024, 8.5% by 2025, and 15% by 2026. Yeh’s carefully crafted circular ecosystem thus found fertile ground, leading to the emergence of both buyout and leasing models that cater to the diverse needs of different types of customers, achieving reduction in plastic and waste and solving certain environmental issues.
Joining Forces with Chain Retail Brands to Cover Recycling Points Across Taiwan
As cooperation with clients expands and diversifies, PackAge+ has already established over 4,700 recycling points for its circular packaging, boosting overall usage to 920,000 times, equivalent to a tangible reduction of 920,000 cardboard boxes. This echoes Yeh's consistent mission belief - "Taiwan has a high density of chain stores, and Taiwanese people are accustomed to recycling resources. It's very suitable for turning Taiwan into
a sustainable circular island, replacing disposable packaging wherever possible." Yeh points out that since semiconductor processes require high levels of cleanliness and dust protection, many plastic products can only be used once. Recycled plastics are made into circular packaging, which is then reused by factories. Through both "reduction" and "offsetting" measures, they assist in achieving carbon neutrality goals.
The cleaning and disinfection of circular packaging are carried out in collaboration with social welfare organizations, providing job opportunities for vulnerable groups. (Image provided by PackAge+)
Seizing Asian and Global Business Opportunities, Limitless Possibilities Lie in the Future
Therefore, looking ahead to PackAge+'s next steps, there are many exciting possibilities. Not only can this circular packaging ecosystem be replicated in other densely populated East Asian countries with chain stores similar to Taiwan, but it can also collaborate with Taiwanese semiconductor and major tech companies to implement circular packaging services in Southeast Asian manufacturing zones, such as Singapore,
Vietnam, and Malaysia, seizing over $260 billion in Asian packaging opportunities as a starting point for expanding overseas markets.
In the future, connecting with carbon trading mechanisms, sustainable behaviors, such as using circular packaging and purchasing environmentally friendly consumables by consumers or businesses can be further monetized as carbon credits, aligning with the $53 billion global carbon trading market. Then, "building a world-class circular ecosystem" will not just be a slogan, but an achievable future, creating a significant international impact that cannot be underestimated.
The circular box and bag have now been upgraded to the third generation, demonstrating the ambitious goal of replacing all cardboard boxes and making Taiwan a sustainable circular island. (Image provided by PackAge+)