Original Date: 03/17/1997
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

To accommodate the dynamics of its business structure, Polaroid has a constant movement of office employees. In the past, relocating employees required 15 corrugated moving boxes per employee for packing their office contents at a cost of $11.75 per box. Employee relocation over a 12-month period typically averaged 4,600 boxes. Polaroid recognized that the practice of purchasing corrugated moving boxes, recollecting them after a move, and then recycling the used boxes was a waste of natural resources and an unnecessary budget commitment. To rectify the situation, Polaroid purchased 100 plastic stackable moving totes with hinged lids at $20.00 each. These totes are loaned to employees and returned after each move.

Polaroid has already paid for its original investment in less than six months, and the concept has been well received by the employees. In addition to the cost savings, these commercial-off-the-shelf totes have also created a labor savings. Previously, when an employee finished unpacking, the empty corrugated moving boxes were often tossed in piles for custodial collection which created an unsightly nuisance. In addition, the recycling process of the corrugated boxes required an employee to collect, transport, and bale the boxes in another section of the facility to prepare them for the recycler. With the reusable plastic totes, employees can insert and neatly stack the totes for custodial collection and reuse. The savings from this environmentally-friendly method continues to accumulate and will fund the purchase of another 100 plastic totes to support Polaroid for the future.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.