Lean Packaging is a project developed in collaboration with the
coffee company Lavazza, aiming to cut void space and waste in
e-commerce shipments without sacrificing product protection, costs,
or customer choice. It targets compliance with the EU Packaging
and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which from 2030 caps
unused volume per parcel at 40%. Lavazza’s baseline is ∼ 31.3% fill
(∼ 68.7% empty), showing a clear gap.
We built a governance simulator that mirrors demand, generates
realistic orders and, through a 3D bin-packing algorithm, selects
feasible boxes to quantify void ratios. On this base we pursued two
intertwined tracks.
Upstream, a digital banner at checkout recommends a coherent add-on to use the residual capacity of the assigned carton,
incentivized by a small discount. Simulations indicate that about 80% of critical orders can be optimized without changing the outer
box, with ∼ 5% better space utilization and ∼€11 higher order value when the suggestion is accepted; under prudent assumptions
this yields ∼€50k extra annual margin for a ∼€10k one-off investment (payback ∼2.01 years).
Downstream, we designed an adjustable carton: a single pre-cut sheet (single-wall corrugate) that yields 12 formats, four bases by
three heights, assembled quickly with perforations and folds. Dimensions were tuned on Lavazza’s mix to minimize average void
using the simulator, and laser-cut prototypes validated assembly; durability and sustainability test plans are set for industrialization.