ABSTRACT
Returnable–reusable transport packaging is most evident in the auto industry, where mountains of reusable steel racks still define the landscape around many assembly plants. One of the largest corporate conversions to returnable—reusable containers during the 1990s occurred at the John Deere & Co. plant in Horicon, Wisconsin. Before adoption of the returnable container program, virtually all freight arrived in one-way, expendable containers. Auto makers were the recognized leaders in developing returnable container systems. If returnables worked well at the Horicon facility, the program could be rolled out to all locations. The Horicon plant created what was called the Corporate Returnable Container Team, with members from purchasing/procurement, environmental engineering, and other departments with an interest in the project. In the late 1980s, projections indicated that landfill disposal fees would be one of the fastest rising costs of doing business. In 1991, the company determined to reduce the volume of materials sent to landfill disposal.
