96.8 percent positive customer feedback: ratioform and Sporthaus Schuster test sustainable grass paper packaging

For more than 100 years, Sporthaus Schuster on Marienplatz has been Munich's first address for climbing, mountain and other sports equipment. The webshop also receives 100,000 orders a year, for which the professional sports outfitter is now looking for even more sustainable packaging. ratioform, Germany's leading dealer for transport packaging based in Pliening, advises Schuster and recommends the climate-neutral Speedbox made of grass paper. With its automatic base and high proportion of a rapidly renewable resource, it is both efficient and sustainable. To make sure that the innovative packaging meets the requirements for efficiency and stability - and is well received by customers - Sporthaus Schuster tests 1,000 boxes in online retail together with ratioform. Customer feedback plays a decisive role: after an exciting test run, 96.8 percent of the customers rate the grass paper packaging positively.

Almost three quarters of German consumers pay attention to sustainable packaging - this is true in the supermarket as well as in the webshop. "Many of the 270 or so orders that come into our webshop every day are from customers who spend their leisure time in nature," says Harry Hahn, head of logistics at Munich-based Sporthaus Schuster. "That's also why we wanted an even more sustainable packaging solution. So far, we have been using the Speedbox from ratioform printed with our logo in four sizes customised for us for almost ten years. We can pack around three quarters of our 20,000-item range in it, from small carabiners to high-tech thermal clothing and wearables." Thanks to ratioform's recommendation, Schuster's logistics team was able to increase its packaging efficiency by 60 percent. Together, the traditional sports house and the packaging experts are now heading towards an even more environmentally friendly alternative.

Grass paper as a climate-neutral and sustainable alternative
A possible replacement for the conventional speedbox: the grass paper speedbox from ratioform's climate-neutral brand terra. Harry Hahn: "With its automatic base and self-adhesive strips, the grass paper speedbox is identical in construction to the conventional speedbox and thus fits seamlessly into our processes. However, I was initially sceptical whether the material would meet our demands for efficiency and stability." After all, packaging not only has to survive transport to the customer safely: 30 to 40 per cent of orders are returned, for which customers usually reuse the Speedbox. So Sporthaus Schuster and ratioform put the grass paper speedbox to the test and start a joint practical test.

Scan, click, emoji - feedback
"We delivered a pallet with 1,000 grass paper speed boxes to Sporthaus Schuster," says Rolf Träger, Area Sales Manager at ratioform. "For each order in Graspapier, the logistics team at Schuster enclosed a flyer that leads customers to the survey via QR code. How well did you like the delivery in Graspapier? They could answer that with just a few clicks via emoji." Many customers took the opportunity and participated in the survey. The results are impressive: At 96.8 per cent, the vast majority of voting customers gave the climate-neutral packaging a positive rating. "And critical voices are also helpful," explains Rolf Träger. "Initial feedback that the grass paper draws too much water when it rains is something we use with our partners from the paper industry to optimise the material composition."

Tweaking packaging until it fits just right
The importance of sustainability for transport packaging is growing steadily. Whether Sporthaus Schuster will fully switch to the climate-neutral alternative is still open. Harry Hahn: "Replacing packaging materials is a big decision, especially when they have to withstand as much as the Speedbox. First of all, we are happy about 96 percent satisfied customers - and about the fact that we have a strong and flexible partner in ratioform who supports us so intensively in optimising our packaging processes and for this also accompanies such a packaging test in close cooperation with us."