The growing e-commerce industry and online shopping is increasing the demand for transportation services world-wide. This expanding industry is beneficial for the economic aspects of society, but the transportation of packages is also causing major environmental impacts along the supply chain. The environmental impact of waste and emissions attributed to the manufacturing and shipment of packages are concluded by many scholars, stressing the importance of sustainable alternatives and innovations. Environmental concerns perceived by customers, governments and other stakeholders are increasingly pressuring companies to develop sustainable products, packaging and shipping. And yet, many customers still demand low-cost and fast shipping, making the development of green packaging and shipping uncertain as an investment. New legislations entering in effect year 2021 will successfully reduce the plastic waste in world-oceans and landfill, but at the same time limit the use of effective fit-to-use packaging which will inevitably result in larger packages occupying more space in transportation vessels. This study will examine the daily practice of e-commerce companies in Sweden, studying their knowledge and thoughts regarding green packaging development with an emphasis on the maximum fill rate of the secondary transit packaging level. Interviews with five companies were conducted, studying their daily practices. The analysis of the empiric data was conducted using transcriptions, to minimize bias, all analysis was collectively interpreted by the researchers. Our result show that companies consider low-cost, protected and fast shipping to be the most important demands of their customers, the companies view sustainability as a bonus rather than a competitive advantage. The results also suggest that air in packaging is viewed as extra protection for the goods, and the negative impacts are overseen. The available studies and prior works describing green packaging development actions are quite clear, however, the companies neglect the opportunities to develop green packaging due to economic barriers and perceived customer demands, thus creating a gap between practice and theory.

The use of robotic systems in consumer goods industry has increased over recent years. However, food industry has not taken to the robotics technology with the same desire as in other industries due to technical and commercial reasons. Difficulties in matching human speed and flexibility, variable nature of food products, high production volume rates, lack of appropriate end-effectors, high initial investment rate of the so-called systems and low margins in food products are still blocking the range of use of robotics in food industry. In this thesis study, as a contribution to the use of robotic systems in food industry, a secondary packaging robotic system is designed. The system is composed of two basic subsystems: a dual-axis controlled robotic arm and a special-purpose gripper. Mechanical and control systems design of basic subsystems are performed within the scope of the study. During the designing process, instead of using classical design methods, modern computer-aided design and engineering tools are utilized.

Sustainable development has become preeminent for government and corporations as the awareness of environmental impact of human activities increases. Integration of sustainability in supply chains requires companies to look at all three pillars of sustainability. Yet, environmental sustainability remains the most prominent and it has popularized terms like carbon footprint and carbon emissions between academics and professionals. Under supply chain, logistics remain a key strategic factor for companies to gain competitive advantage. Packaging fulfills the functional requirements of logistics, marketing, and the environment. This case study, based on active research is conducted using field notes, interviews, participant observation and corporate documents, aims to contribute to the academic field of packaging and sustainability in packaging process, by revealing the relationship between the secondary packaging and transportation emissions, as well as criteria for assessing secondary packaging material for sustainability. This topic is hence relevant and adds on to the current research conducted on packaging logistics and sustainability in secondary packaging. The research is based on existing literature and is supplemented with an empirical case study of a global life science company. The empirical setup enables to explore the relationship between secondary packaging and transportation emissions with a real-life example and enables to create a framework for sustainable assessment of secondary packaging process that focusses on volume optimization and a circular approach.

Arla Sveriges lastbärarstruktur utgörs av ett stort antal sekundärförpackningar och lastbärare som används vid transport av produkter. Trots att antalet varianter minskat är lastbärarstrukturen fortfarande dåligt anpassad för att skapa en modulär och flexibel lösning, vilket har resulterat i svårigheter att optimera hanteringen i kyllager och transport. Samtidigt har antalet lastbärarrelaterade olycksfall och belastningsskador ökat under de senaste två åren, vilket har lett till en efterfrågan på en arbetsmiljöutvärdering för att finna förbättrings- åtgärder. Utöver detta arbetar Arla ständigt för att minska miljö- och klimatpåverkan genom hela värdekedjan. Från externt håll har kundernas förändrade ordermönster och butiksutformning bidragit till ytterligare behov av att se över lastbärarstrukturen. Syftet med projektet är att analysera de två befintliga sekundärförpackningarna rödback och wellpapptråg genom hela värdekedjan med hänsyn till de fem perspektiven: funktion, kostnad, arbetsmiljö, miljö och lean. Målet är att analysen ska resultera i en kravspecifikation samt en rekommendation för var fokus bör ligga och hur framtida lastbärarstruktur bör utformas. Projektet är utfört som en fallstudie av Arla Sverige. Tekniker som användes var studiebesök, observationer, intervjuer, enkäter, skattningar, tester, ergonomiska bedömningar och analys av historisk data. Analysen omfattade fem sekundärförpackningar, varav tre returemballage (rödback, ny Arlaback och SRS-back) och två engångsemballage (wellpapptråg och plasttråg). Resultatet visade att rödbacken var mest fördelaktig ur kostnads- och miljöperspektiven. Den nya Arlabacken och SRS-backen var dyrast, men även mest fördelaktig ut funktions-, arbetsmiljö- och leanperspektiven. Engångsemballagen erhöll ofördelaktiga resultat i samtliga kategorier, men ansågs ha en funktionsmässig fördel för kunder som föredrar att inte hantera returgods. Slutsatsen är att samtliga lastbärarstrukturer har både för- och nackdelar. Rekommendationen utgår från prioriteringen: funktion, arbetsmiljö, miljö och kostnad. Standardisering utifrån lean verksamhetsstrategi anses vara styrande på lång sikt. På grund av rödbackens kostnads- och miljöfördel rekommenderas Arla att på kort sikt fortsätta med dagens lastbärarstruktur och att utvärdera plasttråget med fokus på hållbarhet och funk- tionalitet. Vidare rekommenderas Arla att reducera antalet plocklastbärare samt att standardisera plockteknik och emballagemått. För att säkerställa logistisk vidareutveckling av lastbärarstrukturen rekommenderas Arla att utse en ansvarig person. På lång sikt bör en automation av kyllagret i Kallhäll utvärderas. Till sist rekom- menderas Arla att utvärdera byte till en modulär och flexibel lastbärarstruktur bestående av en EUR-pall, en halvpall, en rullpall, en större back och ett mindre brätte. Detta beräknas resultera i ett flertal fördelar, däribland ökad flödeseffektivitet, sänkt driftkostnad, bättre arbetsmiljö och minskad miljöpåverkan. / The load carrier structure of Arla Sweden consists of a large number of secondary packaging and load car- riers, which are used for transportation of products. Although the number of variants has decreased, the load carrier structure if still poorly adapted to form a modular and flexible solution. This has resulted in difficulty to optimize the operations in warehouses and transportation. Meanwhile, there has been an increase in the number load carrier-related accidents and musculoskeletal injuries over the past two years, which has led to a demand for a work environment evaluation to find improvement actions. In addition to this, Arla is constant- ly working for reducing the environmental and climate impacts throughout the value chain. From external side, the customers’ ordering patterns and store design have changed which have contributed to a further need to review the lead carrier structure. The aim of the project is to analyze the two existing secondary packaging red creates and corrugated paper trays through the value chain with regard to the five perspectives: functionality, cost, work environment, envi- ronment and lean. The aim is that the analysis will result in a design specification and a recommendation of focus areas and future load carrier structure. The project is performed as a case study of Arla Sweden. Techniques that were used include field studies, observations, interviews, self-assessments, surveys, tests, ergonomic assessments and analysis of historical data. The analysis covered five types of secondary packaging, three of reusable crates (red create, new Arla crate and SRS-crate) and two disposable packaging (cardboard and plastic trays). The results showed that the red crate was the most advantageous alternative from a cost and environmental perspective. The new Arla crate and the SRS-crate were the most expensive, but also the most beneficial from a function, safety and lean perspective. The disposable packaging received unfavorable results in all categor- ies. Still, it has a functional advantage for customers who prefer not to deal with reusable packaging. All load carrier structures has both advantages and disadvantages. The recommendation is based on the prior- itazion: function, work environment, environment and cost. Standardization based on lean organization strat- egy is considered to be guiding in the long term. As a result of the red crate’s cost and environmental ad- vantages, Arla is recommended continuing with the current load carrier structure in the short term and to evaluate the plastic tray with a focus on durability and functionality. Furthermore, Arla is suggested to reduce the number of picking load carriers and to standardize the picking method and packaging dimensions. To ensure further logistical development of the load carrier system, Arla is recommended to appoint a respon- sible person. In the long term an automation of the cold store in Kallhäll should be evaluated. Finally, Arla suggested moving to a modular and flexible load carrier structure consisting of a EUR pallet, a half pallet, a roller pallet, a larger crate and a small tray. This is expected to result in several benefits, including increased feed efficiency, reduced operational costs, better working environment and reduced environmental impact.

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