CASTN – Smart Software for Sustainable Mail Orders

Why do we need this new technology?

It is not uncommon for consumers to place an order online and receive a product shipped in a giant box, surrounded by cushioning materials. As e-commerce continues to grow, more and more packaging waste is being generated. Overly large boxes also take up more space than needed on delivery vehicles as the packages are moved around. Amid this situation, solutions for more sustainable and ecofriendlier transportation of packages are needed. The CASTN software under development by researchers at Fraunhofer IML could change that. It helps to find a suitable selection of box sizes so there is as little empty space inside them as possible when orders are being fulfilled. With CASTN, shipping boxes can be put together to fit the order, so they end up being smaller. And that means more boxes fit into delivery trucks, reducing the number of trips needed overall. This would not only lower costs but also help to protect the environment.

Who will benefit from the new technology?

This software could optimize mail order operations and be a true game changer, which the packaging industry urgently needs. Package recipients would have less unnecessary packaging waste to contend with, and mail order companies could save as much as 20% on the costs of packaging and transportation. On top of that, the software can also help ensure compliance with laws and regulations such as the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). This regulation requires a reduction in packaging materials and maximum empty volume of 50% inside shipping boxes across the entire EU starting in 2030.

How does the new solution work?

To calculate the optimum package size, the software uses item and order data along with the box sizes currently in use. The data is cleaned up first, and then the current empty volume is calculated and two interrelated algorithms are applied. The first helps to create a set of boxes, while the second sorts individual products or orders consisting of multiple products into boxes to save as much space as possible, like the game Tetris. The smart software simulates various possibilities and then shows the optimum selection of boxes.

What makes the project unique?

CASTN technology develops individual solutions for companies to reduce packaging waste, all without needing any additional hardware. The interdisciplinary project team, consisting of researchers from the fields of logistics, computer science, mathematics and science journalism, can draw on years of collaboration with private enterprise and on real-world experience as they go about their work. User requirements, needs and challenges all go into the software development process.

Why is the Fraunhofer Future Foundation supporting this project?

The Fraunhofer Future Foundation is supporting the CASTN project because greater sustainability and environmental friendliness would ease the impacts of mail order on people and the natural environment. The CASTN software can help significantly reduce the use of cardboard or plastic packaging. Companies all along the supply chain could benefit from lower packaging and transportation costs and greater ease of legal compliance.

Fraunhofer IML (2024), in German: CASTN – Karton-Set-Optimierung. Projektwebseite.

Discover logistics, Fraunhofer IML (2024), in German: Der Fluch der überdimensionierten Kartons, Ausgabe #24