May 7, 2010 10:18 AM

Testa Produce had a problem. Each year, the company was using enough pallet-securing shrink wrap to stretch from Chicago to California if measured end-to-end.

For a green-focused company, that was a red flag.

“We’ve looked at every aspect of our business from a sustainability standpoint and set out to cut the amount of shrink wrap we use,” said Peter Testa, president of Testa Produce. “We couldn’t find any cost-effective alternatives on the market, so we designed our own solution: reusable pallet wraps. They’re working extremely well. We’ve reduced our carbon footprint and our costs.”

After several prototypes and plenty of field testing, Peter Testa’s vision for eliminating shrink wrap waste ultimately came to market as Pallet Wrapz. The heavy-duty vinyl mesh wraps are easy to handle and completely reusable. They’re breathable, weather-treated, and come in 2-, 4-, and 6-foot sizes for different pallet configurations, securing easily with Velcro straps that loop through metal rings.

At Testa Produce, they’re slashing the amount of shrink wrap headed to landfills by nearly 14,000 pounds a year and saving nearly $30,000 a year on shrink wrap costs. What’s more, they’re improving efficiency in the warehouse, shaving two to three minutes off the time it takes to wrap individual pallets. With each of Testa’s 55 delivery trucks holding from 12 to 24 pallets, the time savings add up quickly.

To manufacture and market the reusable wraps, a new company called Pallet Wrapz (www.palletwrapz.com) has been launched in Chicago by Testa family friend Matt Jacobs. With contacts in the manufacturing and product design industries, Jacobs worked with Testa to accomplish his goal of creating a simple, durable, environmentally friendly system.

Visit www.testaproduce.com to learn more.