In short
- Auchan is deploying 50,000 smart heavy duty Euro pallets from Q-Pall across France.
- The pallets are made from recycled plastic and equipped with IoT technology from IBM.
- They measure location, temperature and shocks, and raise an alarm when something deviates.
- Estimated saving: 21,328 tonnes of CO2 over eight years.
From wooden pallet to smart pallet
The switch from wooden pallets to smart plastic pallets is no longer a concept, but reality. Retailer Auchan is rolling out 50,000 of our smart heavy duty Euro pallets made from recycled plastic across France. The project contributes to Auchan's goal of cutting scope 3 emissions by 25% by 2030.
From load carrier to data point
A pallet is no longer just a carrier, but also a source of data. The pallets were developed in collaboration with IBM Consulting and provide real-time insight into the supply chain. This 'Smart Green Pallet' measures, among other things:
- Location: knowing exactly where the goods are.
- Temperature: making sure fresh products stay in the right condition.
- Shocks: seeing where and when goods are mishandled.
In case of temperature fluctuations or hard shocks, the system raises an alarm immediately, so teams can step in on time.
Environmental impact: the figures
At Q-Pall we have been showing for years that plastic has environmental advantages over wood in closed systems. Auchan's figures confirm this. The switch is estimated to save 21,328 tonnes of CO2 over eight years. Two factors make the difference:
- Service life: our pallets last much longer than wooden pallets and are fully recyclable.
- Less waste: monitoring means less food is lost. Food waste accounts for around 5% of logistics emissions.
A successful pilot
The full roll-out was preceded by a pilot with 10,000 pallets in two warehouses. The results: better tracking, more safety thanks to the lower weight and higher logistics quality.
Who is next?
We are proud to be laying the foundations for this step together with IBM. Auchan is setting the standard for a transparent, resilient and sustainable supply chain, and we invite other retailers to follow its example. Take a look at our solutions for retail and pooling, or get in touch.
