Reusable Packaging Pooling: Built for Supply Chain Performance
Pooling service lets you stay focused on your business while Tosca manages, repairs, cleans, and delivers your crates, bins, and pallets when and where you need them.
Get the benefits of reusable transport packaging without the responsibility of owning and managing it. Tosca’s pooling model ensures a continuous supply of clean, high-quality plastic pallets, crates, and bulk bins while we handle asset maintenance, recovery, and logistics. By eliminating operational complexity, we help businesses improve supply chain performance, increase sustainability, and focus resources where they matter most.
How pooling works
Your supply chain assets such as reusable plastic crates, plastic pallets, and bulk bins will be managed by Tosca. We ensure that assets are cleaned and sanitized to the industry’s highest safety standards at every turn.
Open Loop
Closed Loop
Delivery of assets to supplier
Tosca reusables are delivered to a supplier—when and where they’re needed—to begin their journey. When you pool with Tosca you only pay for an asset’s single trip through the supply chain including washing and servicing.
Assets shipped to distribution center
Reusable containers are shipped to a retail distribution center where they’re prepped and await transport to a store.
Product delivered to retail store
Reusables are stored neatly in the back room or cooler at a store, or placed directly at point-of-sale for retail-ready assets.
Sortation & return of assets
Reusables travel from the retail store to a salvage sort center, joined by more Tosca reusables from other stores and sorted by type and size.
Sanitization & service at Tosca site
Tosca collects used reusables from the sort center and delivers them to one of our 18 service centers, where they're inspected, repaired if necessary, and washed under the industry's most rigorous food safety program.
Why switch to reusable secondary packaging pooling model?
By pooling your reusable packaging with Tosca, you minimize environmental impact while maximizing supply chain efficiency and avoiding the costs of ownership.
The nation’s most rigid food safety program
All Tosca pooled assets are washed according to the industry’s most rigorous food safety program, ISO 22000, so you can be confident in meeting your food safety standards.
Right asset, right place, right time
Tosca’s industry-best on-time delivery performance and largest wash network in the US means consistent asset availability.
Zero asset maintenance
Tosca owns and manages all the reusables. We also maintain and do all repairs so you can focus on your business.
High-quality reusable packaging solutions portfolio
Six individual product lines from one provider cover your supply chain from end to end. All assets are optimized for product protection and labor efficiency.
Zero capital outlay
Save your capital for projects that add value to your business, and prevent hidden costs of assets ownership such as repairs, administration, loss, disposal, etc.
The right assets at the right time with the largest US wash network
Our wash centers are strategically located to ensure we reduce transportation time and CO2 emissions at every turn.
Pooling FAQs
What is secondary packaging pooling?
Secondary packaging pooling is a shared-use model where a provider like Tosca owns, manages, washes, and repairs a fleet of reusable pallets, crates, and bins on your behalf. Instead of purchasing and maintaining your own assets, you pay based on r “turns” through your supply chain.
How does pallet pooling/secondary packaging pooling work?
In a pooled model, reusable packaging is delivered to you when needed, used to ship or store product, then returned through reverse logistics to a service center for washing, inspection, and repair before re-entering circulation. It makes reusable secondary packaging more sustainable and cost-effective than single-use or owned alternatives.
What are the benefits of pooling versus owning your own assets?
Pooling removes the capital outlay of buying pallets, crates, or bins outright, and hands off the ongoing cost and hassle of maintenance, repair, loss tracking, and disposal. Instead of managing an owned fleet, you use the assets available through your supply chain, and Tosca handles washing, repair, and replacement as part of the service.
How much does pooling cost?
Pooling is based on the number of times an asset “turns” in your supply chain, meaning it makes a full rotation between Tosca and your open- or closed-loop network. Pricing is based on multiple factors, including volume, the market price of resin, etc., at the time of the contract.
The transportation costs of the assets to and from Tosca are pass-through costs. The supplier or manufacturer pays pooling expenses as a cost of goods sold, such as corrugated boxes, bins, and wooden pallets. Use our calculator to start understanding your potential savings, or contact us for an in-depth savings analysis.
How long does it take to switch?
This typically depends more on how quickly your organization wants to move than on our ability to begin pooling for you. The steps to get started are found here. Post-piloting, assuming you have existing reverse logistics (asset return to Tosca), your pooling service can begin as soon as the contract is signed.
If you need us to help you establish reverse logistics, we can do so in about 30 days. The only exception is if you need an extremely large volume of assets. In this scenario, we advise converting in stages to ensure time for quality assurance and organizational adjustment.
Can you guarantee surety of supply?
Tosca has the highest on-time delivery (OTD) rates globally, but no service can provide 100% certainty of supply. Though we have disaster contingency plans and slack in our network, extreme circumstances on our end or yours could prevent perfect delivery.
Nonetheless, we strive for it and measure and report on our OTD percentage daily. Our longevity of customer partners speaks to our service levels.
Read more: Surety of supply blog
What are my other options instead of pooling?
While pooling is the preferred model of most Tosca partners because it offers zero capital outlay and eliminates the need to manage, wash, and repair assets, we do offer a variety of options to best suit your needs:
- Wash service: If you own your reusable containers, bins, or pallets, you can still have Tosca wash and maintain them.
- Purchase: Tosca RPCs, pallets, bulk bins, and reusable supply chain solutions can be purchased directly from Tosca. However, there are hidden costs of ownership to consider.
Repair services: If you own your reusable containers, bins, or pallets, you can still have them repaired or replaced by Tosca.
Do you offer support to onboard my team?
This is one of our specialties, and we are committed to setting your organization up for success from the very beginning. Whether it’s providing you with a model of the predicted impacts for savings and sustainability, creating presentation and collateral materials so you can answer questions, having our experts work with members of your team, connecting you with customers using RPCs to see them in use, or providing training on how to order or return crates, or solving ancillary needs like reverse logistics and automation, we are here to help you and your organization be completely comfortable with reusables and understand the value thereof.
Do I need to worry about the return logistics or do you handle that?
If you do not currently have reverse logistics, we will help you establish it. If you are working with multiple reusables providers, sort can be handled by your organization or as a service provided by Tosca.
What kinds of assets do you pool?
We currently pool reusable shipping crates, bulk bins, and plastic pallets.
See how pooling can benefit your business
Our experts are ready to answer your questions and guide you towards a more sustainable packaging solution.