Rhinopaq and Circular develops reusable boxes for Riese & Müller’s e-bikes

GERMANY – Packaging specialist, Rhinopaq has partnered with Circular Logistics to design and develop new reusable packaging for shipping e-bikes manufacturer Riese & Müller’s products.

The latest effort comes as Riese & Müller intends to transition to reusable packaging for shipping its e-bikes and small components.

Both Circular and Rhinopaq are working in close coordination to develop this packaging locally in Germany.

The e-bike packaging is expected to be rolled out to selected dealers across the country by September this year.

As part of its initial plans, the e-bike manufacturer intends to adopt this sustainable change in shipping for up to 60% of its e-bike packaging and up to 70% of its small components packaging by early 2024.

Once implemented, this transition will help Riese & Müller and its dealers to minimize their overall waste generation in the retail sector by approximately 905 tonnes (t) of cardboard annually.

The new ‘BikeBox’ is entirely made using polypropylene (PP), which is regarded as a highly durable and easy-to-recycle material.

This PP material can be reused up to 30 times, saving approximately 80% of carbon dioxide compared to traditional packaging in the process. The new boxes will be sized the same as Riese & Müller’s existing cardboard boxes.

These reusable boxes are designed to match the sizes of the currently available cardboard boxes and can be folded down once the product has been delivered.

According to Circular, consumers can then send them back to Riese & Müller through all European road freight routes, including those in Switzerland. This will further result in saving 880 tonnes of cardboard annually, Circular noted.

These reusable boxes can be fastened with the help of a hook-and-loop design to eliminate the requirement for adhesive tape.

In a similar development, Continental has repackaged its high-tech mountain bike tyres in recycled corrugated cardboard from STI Group.

Its integrated handle is designed to hang the pack on a Euro hook and help consumers carry the product home.

The box – designed to be hexagonal in shape in line with Continental’s branding – features cut-out windows, allowing consumers to both see and touch the product inside without having to open the pack.

It is folded and glued in place to utilize as little material as possible, and although this is said to be complicated to assemble by hand, STI Group states that it is possible to automate the process.

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