Reusable packaging cuts 2 tonnes of waste
A reusable lighting packaging system developed by Whitecroft Lighting has eliminated over two tonnes of waste from the supply chain at Fife Learning Campus, Scotland’s first net zero college.
The innovative Geopak™ solution replaces traditional single-use cardboard and plastic packaging with modular, GPS-tracked polypropylene totes. Designed for reuse across at least 12 project cycles, the packaging system has already prevented more than 100,000 cardboard cartons from entering the supply chain and saved the project £6,000 in waste management costs.
The system is being trialled at the Dunfermline campus and delivered in collaboration with project developer Balfour Beatty and contractor Forth Electrical Services.
The campus is a flagship of the Scottish Government’s Net Zero Public Sector Buildings standard, making it an ideal pilot for circular construction practices.
Whitecroft, which specialises in low-carbon lighting for education and healthcare, developed Geopak™ with Cardiff Metropolitan University and design consultancy PDR.
The reusable totes are capable of carrying mixed lighting products, maximising delivery efficiency and minimising material use. Once emptied, the units collapse for collection and reuse, enabling a closed-loop, traceable logistics model.
The Fife project marks the first large-scale deployment of Geopak™ and signals a shift in how lighting manufacturers can support net zero goals—not only through energy-efficient products, but by eliminating waste across the supply chain.
‘The environmental impact of packaging is often overlooked,’ said a Whitecroft spokesperson. ‘This project shows how rethinking even the most basic elements—like how products arrive on site—can deliver measurable gains in circularity and carbon reduction.’
Fife College is focused on renewable energy and sustainable construction. Aligning with the Scottish Government’s Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan, it says it has the ambition of establishing a Centre of Excellence in Renewable Energy and a Retrofitting Regional Hub, addressing the skills for decarbonisation and environmental sustainability.
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