More sustainable fastenings

PlaceMakers is saving more plastic packaging from going to landfill with the help of ECKO Fastening Systems and Bremick Fasteners 

Following its industry-first move in switching loose nail packaging from plastic to cardboard, PlaceMakers has eliminated 55,000 poly bags and 60,000 plastic boxes from its shelves – and, ultimately, from landfill. 

When the move was announced in February 2022, PlaceMakers Fastening Category Manager Dean McGowan said it was “the biggest change to loose nails in over 20 years”. 

“The move was a first from a New Zealand building supplies merchant. Our goal to promote packaging that is both environmentally and customer friendly has been well-supported by our major New Zealand suppliers ECKO Fastening Systems Ltd and Bremick Fasteners, delivering a ground-breaking in-store customer experience that’s exclusive to PlaceMakers.” 

Suppliers jumping on board

The first to jump on board two years ago, supplier ECKO Fastening Systems has now converted 90% of its range to cardboard packaging, with ECKO National Sales Manager Shaun Matheson calling it a success for everyone involved.

Shaun says that when a PlaceMakers store initially switches from plastic packaging to cardboard boxes, there may be a few questions from customers but it’s very quickly “business as usual”.

“We’ve had no pushback from customers; most of the feedback is that the packaging is great, with builders saying they are choosing our products because the cardboard packaging makes it easier to identify them on the shelves, which makes their store visits more efficient.

“They are also finding the cardboard packs easy to read and handle on site.”

ECKO has taken care to ensure the packaging is well-suited to the environments they are used in.

“We have designed our screw packaging to be easily stackable in the back of a van and robust enough to handle the load of other boxes being stacked on top of them. That robust design also minimises any damage from shipping and handling prior to arriving in store.”

Bremick’s packaging evolution picture above

 

More sustainable solutions

With 1,500 unique lines now available in sustainable packaging, Shaun says ECKO is continuing work on transitioning its whole range away from plastic.

“At this stage, our heavier products, such as 15kg tubs of loose nails and some of our masonry lines, are still packaged in plastic – but we’re working on transitioning those.

“Products sold individually, such as nuts and bolts, were previously displayed in plastic containers. We found that a lot of merchants would throw the containers away when they got damaged or refreshed by suppliers. So, we’ve changed them to wooden display boxes manufactured in New Zealand from NZ pine, which is another point of difference for us that contributes to our sustainability efforts.”

ECKO isn’t the only PlaceMakers supplier reducing its plastic packaging. Dean Cannon, National Retail Sales Manager for Bremick Fasteners, says the company has transitioned nearly 800 lines of fasteners packaged in plastic snap and clam packs to cardboard packaging.

“Historically, we’ve used plastic containers and most of it ended up in landfill, so we decided to move to 100% recyclable, biodegradable and combustile cardboard packaging. We have been working on an even more sustainable version, using water-based ink and a plant-based window secured with sugar cane glue. We carried out extensive testing to ensure it meets our durability requirements, and we’re happy to report it does. 

“99% of our line – everything other than bulk products – will use this new packaging and will begin to be seen in stores from August.”

Dean adds that their manufacturing plants have been upgraded to meet the highest sustainability benchmarks to also ensure an environmentally friendly supply chain.