CHEP’s circular business model, based on sharing and reusing logistics equipment, helps companies improve resource efficiency, reduce environmental impact and access sustainability data for reporting, Marcin Wasilewski, Commercial Director Mid Europe at CHEP, said at the Sustainability in Business Forum, organised by Sustainability Today and The Diplomat-Bucharest.
Speaking at the forum, Wasilewski highlighted the role of pooled pallets in creating a more efficient supply chain, explaining how CHEP manages, collects, inspects, repairs and reuses its assets while helping customers improve operational efficiency and prepare for evolving sustainability reporting requirements.
“Sustainability is in CHEP’s DNA. It is an integral part of our business. For more than 60 years, we have been using a circular model that provides an efficient way to put sustainability strategy into practice,” Wasilewski said.
CHEP operates a pooling model in which businesses share and reuse logistics equipment rather than managing their own separate inventories of pallets. The company’s distinctive blue pallets remain CHEP-owned assets, which are collected and returned to circulation after use.
“Imagine that 350 million pallets around the world belong to us. Our blue pallets are easily recognisable and remain CHEP’s property. This is a major advantage for the companies that use them, because they do not have to worry about owning and managing these assets themselves,” he explained.
Under this model, customers use the pallets to transport goods across the supply chain, while CHEP manages their recovery and subsequent reuse. The process includes inspection, repair and reintegration into the system, extending asset lifecycles and reducing the need for new resources.
“We share this platform, and companies use it when they need to move goods from point A to point B or Z. Afterwards, we collect the assets as their owner, inspect them, repair them where necessary and put them back into circulation. This allows us to optimise the entire cycle,” Wasilewski said.
He added that CHEP aims to extend the benefits of its circular model across the supply chain, enabling customers and partners to benefit from the efficiencies generated by shared logistics infrastructure.
Beyond managing logistics assets, CHEP also provides customers with information about the sustainability impact associated with their use of the pooling model. This data can support businesses in their environmental reporting and sustainability assessments.
“We are very transparent about the information we provide to our customers. The data we share is relevant to their operations and can be used by our partners for reporting purposes,” Wasilewski said.
He noted that the company’s role goes beyond the physical management of pallets to include helping customers access information about the environmental performance of their logistics operations.
“We do not simply take care of managing these assets; we also provide reporting information related to the pallets used in our customers’ businesses,” he added.
Wasilewski also addressed the questions businesses face regarding the implementation of the European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), as well as the broader challenges of sustainability reporting and decarbonisation.
He said CHEP is focusing on transparency, data availability and cooperation with customers to help them navigate the changing regulatory environment.
“There are many questions about PPWR: how the new rules will be implemented, how sustainability will be reported and how the requirements will affect each of our customers. We are preparing for these developments and remain committed to transparency in the information we share,” he said.
According to Wasilewski, providing relevant environmental data can help companies understand and communicate the decarbonisation benefits associated with their logistics activities, while making reporting processes more straightforward.
He also emphasised the importance of agility and partnership in responding to regulatory and market changes.
“We do not have all the answers, of course, but we approach these challenges as a partnership. Helping our customers navigate this changing environment is a priority, and this is an investment in the future,” Wasilewski concluded.
