Bearhug aims to replace disposable pallet wrap

Bearhug has launched a range of reusable pallet wrap, aiming to replace some of the wrap used to wrap the five billion pallets in circulation globally.

Alarmed by the kilos of wrap thrown out every day, founder and truck driver Tom Field and co-founder Max Higgins tackled the problem head on, developing the reusable Bearhug product.

Field said: “I come back to the warehouse every day, my truck comes back every day, my pallets come back every day, why can’t my wrap?”

The reusable wraps are 10x cheaper than plastic wrap when reused over their 1000-use life, and strength certification shows them to be more secure than plastic wrap, reducing breakages.

At the same time they cut the tonnes of wrap going to landfill every year – the world consumes enough wrap to wrap around the Earth 8,500 times over each year.

According to the company: “With 36 businesses getting onboard in the first year, Bearhug have sold out of reusable wraps and quadrupled their stock for 2024.”

Based in Mascot, Sydney, Bearhug started out selling exclusively to craft brewers, and are now expanding to service any business that wraps pallets.

To bridge the barrier of return logistics, they’re also building the world’s first ‘pooling model’ for reusable pallet wraps where, just like with pallets, they can be exchanged or transferred between businesses.

This hire model makes them viable for every step of a supply chain, according to the company.

“Now, manufacturers and logistics companies can make significant reductions in their plastic waste.”

“Soon, brands will be able to coordinate the removal of pallet wrap from their entire value chain.”

More than 95 percent of packaged goods will be on a pallet wrapped in plastic at some point – producing 2.8 million tonnes of annual pallet wrap waste.

Picture: Bearhug