Sustainability Without Sacrifice—Meet the Packaging Supply Chain™
Across Europe and the U.S., manufacturers face the same struggle: balancing profit and planet—while people are caught in the middle.
Leaders feel forced to choose: cut costs or go green. The people managing operations day to day are facing tough tradeoffs with limited resources and rising expectations.
The Packaging Supply Chain™
Connecting People, Profit & Planet
The “Profit vs. Planet” challenge has become universal—and it’s one BGR set out to solve. That’s why we created the Packaging Supply Chain™ (PSC™): a data-driven framework that unites People, Profit, and Planet by revealing where packaging quietly erodes margin, labor efficiency, and sustainability performance.
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Why it matters: Most manufacturers dramatically underestimate the financial and operational impact of packaging.
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But the data is clear: Companies that apply the PSC™ uncover an average of 3.3% of revenue in hidden savings, or $3.3 million per $100 million in sales—while improving labor efficiency and reducing environmental waste.
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The most common reaction? “Too good to be true.” —Yet the results speak for themselves: the PSC™ doesn’t force trade-offs. It exposes opportunities to win on all three fronts—and makes those wins measurable.
People:
Empowering the Front Line
Packaging affects every team, yet it’s rarely owned by anyone. Warehouse staff often face stockouts, rework, and inefficient pack-outs—quiet pressures that increase labor strain and turnover. The PSC™ framework exposes these pain points and removes them through data and technology.
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An Example: One e-commerce company implemented RFID-enabled packaging inventory, that eliminated stockouts and manual cycle counts while streamlining dock operations. The result: fewer interruptions, reduced stress, and a 90% ROI in the first year.
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More importantly, it allowed frontline teams to focus on value-added activities—from optimizing workflows to supporting higher volumes—rather than wasting time chasing missing materials or correcting avoidable mistakes.
Profit:
Controlling the Unseen Costs
In many operations, packaging is excluded from ERP systems and treated as a minor spend—when in reality, it drives major hidden costs. The PSC™ framework brings visibility to five cost centers: purchasing, inventory, design, throughput, and delivery.
- By the numbers: One manufacturer cut redundant SKUs, moved to a consignment model with RFID, and consolidated vendors—leading to a 42% total cost savings. These weren’t speculative numbers; they were real savings confirmed through data.
The results speak for themselves:
the PSC™ doesn’t force trade-offs.
It exposes opportunities to win on all three fronts—and makes those wins measurable.
Planet:
Making Sustainability Practical
The PSC™ doesn’t treat sustainability as an added cost—it reveals how better design can reduce materials, emissions, and waste while saving money.
- By the Numbers: A packaging redesign for one distributor led to a 48.7% savings and a significant reduction in landfill waste, simply by optimizing bag dimensions and palletization.
- RFID also supports sustainability by reducing overordering and helping teams right-size inventory and materials in real time.
The Bottom Line:
It’s Already in the Box
Packaging may not be your product—but it touches every part of your operation. From frontline workflows to executive goals, it shapes how you balance people, profit, and planet.
That’s why the Packaging Supply Chain™ is so powerful. For European and American leaders alike, it’s not just a strategy—it’s a system that aligns performance, cost, and sustainability without compromise.
Profit and planet no longer need to compete—and your people shouldn’t be forced to choose. The PSC™ proves they can all win together.