TORONTO, Nov. 7, 2019 /CNW/ – PUDO Inc. (“PUDO” or the “Company”) (CSE: PDO; OCTQB: PDPTF), North America’s only carrier-neutral parcel pick-up and drop-off network (the “Network”), is thrilled to announce a unique initiative with The Salvation Army Thrift Store, National Recycling Operations (“NRO”) and Give Back Box (“GBB”), aimed at increasing the quality and quantity of merchandise donated for re-sale, while simultaneously decreasing the volume of e-commerce packaging and goods destined for landfills.
It would make sense that annual double-digit increases in e-commerce spending nationally, would correlate directly with an increase in donations to charity, however that isn’t necessarily the case. The very same social and economic trends that fuel e-commerce appear to be contributing to decreased consumer participation in community-based give-back and service-based programs.
“The lightning speed and convenience at which consumers can acquire new merchandise, by its very nature encourages quick and easy disposal of ill-fitting and unwanted merchandise and packaging in landfills,” says PUDO CEO Kurtis Arnold.
“In the US, more than four billion pounds of new clothing end up in landfills, according to forbes.com — a horrific statistic. If we use e-commerce market value comparables to estimate Canadian volume, we land somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 million pounds.”
Landfills are pressured further by tonnes and tonnes of cardboard that aren’t making it to recycling. While retailers and grocers recycle almost all of their cardboard, industry sources indicate that only 40% of consumers recycle theirs.
“Given that approximately one billion trees annually service e-commerce packaging in North America, we must find ways to recover and re-route consumer-level e-commerce packaging and ensure that it ends up recycled,” adds Kurtis.
The reasons why new clothing and shoes end up in landfills are myriad, but chief among them is friction in the returns logistics process. It isn’t always easy for consumers to return clothing and shoes for exchange or refund, and it definitely isn’t easy for retailers to return seasonal goods to the floor in time for full-margin re-sale, so inevitably merchandise often ends up in landfills as a cost of doing business.
Resolving this issue at all levels of the supply chain is complicated, but PUDO, with its national Network of carrier-neutral PUDOpoint parcel pick-up and drop-off counters located near to where people live, work and play, is tackling the problem one step at a time, starting at the consumer level.
PUDO’s newly minted relationship with Give Back Box, is integral to supply chain disruption in Canada. GBB and their national retail partner ALDO Shoes, encourage customers to use the very same boxes used to transport or ship new shoes and boots, to ‘return-ship donate’ gently used footwear and clothing to The Salvation Army Thrift Store quickly, conveniently, and at no cost to them.
The Salvation Army Thrift Store is part of The Salvation Army, one of the largest national charities in Canada that gives hope and support to over 1.6 million people. Through the 107 Thrift Store locations across Canada (www.thriftstore.ca), savings are offered on gently used clothing, textiles, and household items while supporting Salvation Army programs, services, and emergency relief efforts.
The process is simple, through online integration with PUDO technology. A downloadable pre-paid shipping label and instructions are made available to consumers, who then fill their boxes with re-sellable clothing and shoes and drop off their boxes for consolidation and distribution through PUDO to The Salvation Army Thrift Store.
The program has only just begun, but already there seems to be a positive trend in the quality of donated merchandise, inspired perhaps by the element of mindfulness that goes into filling a single relatively small box with donated items.
The program relies upon the good intentions and giving of individuals and families in Canada. “Donations of gently used clothing and household goods are at the heart of what we need and required for what we do to support individuals and communities, and we have been receiving wonderful boxes of donations,” says Tonny Colyn, National Donations Manager at The Salvation Army Thrift Store.
The Salvation Army Thrift Store is an environmental steward that recycles and redirects for use mass amounts of clothing and textiles, household goods and other items from Canadian landfills. Last fiscal year, it diverted over 82.4 million pounds which included 1.7 million pounds of cardboard packaging. “Being able to refresh, recycle and restyle donations is a foundational component to what we do in store and with our partners, and we are pleased to be working with PUDO and Give Back Box,” says Colyn. “This relationship and approach to giving, especially over the holiday season where so many people nowadays shop online, has great potential to help so many people that may be in need.”
According to Give Back Box founder Monika Wiela, participants in the return-ship donation program are uncommonly generous and appreciate the opportunity to donate easily and conveniently. “An unexpected trend has been the donation of new merchandise,” says Wiela. “The knowledge that ill-fitting or unsuitable clothing and shoes will go directly to charity seems to inspire consumers to donate rather than return, even if it means that they will not receive a refund.”
It is early days yet for this innovative four-way program, but the results are hopeful and seem to be disrupting more than one level in the supply chain — good news for the environment, and for community-based charities.
About PUDO
PUDO Inc. is developing North America’s only carrier-neutral parcel pick-up/drop-off technology and logistics Network, as a means of solving the last-mile parcel-traffic-control gridlock that is crippling the $550B e-commerce sector. E-commerce is faced with unprecedented cost control issues, based on disproportionately high last-mile delivery costs relating to undeliverable parcels, and parcels returning for refund or exchange. As labour and fuel costs increase in tandem with parcel traffic and volume, the problem worsens.
PUDO’s team of logistics and parcel traffic management experts have created a market intelligence and trends driven solution comprising carrier-neutral plug-and-play technology for desktop and mobile, plus a strategically located Network of parcel pick-up and drop-off PUDOpoints for pay-as-you-go use by all players within the e-commerce ecosystem.
Adopting PUDO technology shortens the last mile for the behemoths of e-commerce — fulfillment and distribution centers representing thousands of retailers and millions of consumers — by instantly extending their parcel staging and consolidation Network and providing secure ‘near end of the line’ storage for the 30% of e-commerce parcels that are undeliverable on first attempt. PUDO’s technology and Network virtually eliminate costs associated with second-attempt deliveries, un-attended parcel theft and spoilage, and mismanaged reverse logistics on returns, and provides carriers, retailers, and consumers with badly needed cost controls, choice, and convenience.
PUDO was founded in 2015 and was recently named one of the Top 20 most innovative public technology companies by the Canadian Innovation Exchange. After two years of industry and market research, and successful beta testing the technology and PUDOpoint geography and protocols with major logistics stakeholders, PUDO is ready to activate its Network through strategic partnerships. Activation will enable all stakeholders within the Network to access and control scalable, fluid, strategic consolidation in real time when and where needed, to lower costs and satisfy customer expectations.
For more information, please visit www.pudoinc.com or www.pudopoint.com.
Information in this press release that is not current or historical factual information may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of securities laws, such as statements regarding possible capital raising activity and possible future expansions of PUDO’s operations. This information is based on current expectations and assumptions of management, including assumptions concerning PUDO’s ability to raise additional capital. The use of any of the words “anticipate”, “believe”, “expect”, “plan”, “intend”, “can”, “will”, “should”, and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Risks, uncertainties, and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, without limitation, uncertainties with respect to service implementation, the economic results of the relationship on the operations of the Company, changes in general economic, market, or business conditions, and those risks set out in the Company’s public documents filed on SEDAR. This press release, may contain future-oriented financial information or financial outlook within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such future-oriented financial information or financial outlook has been prepared for the purpose of providing information about management’s reasonable expectations as to the anticipated results of its proposed business activities. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes.
The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by law.
SOURCE PUDO Inc.
For further information: For additional information about PUDO, please contact: Karen Speight, at 1-506-694-1250, karen.speight@pudopoint.com.
Related Links
www.pudoinc.com