REUSABLE PLASTIC CONTAINERS IN THE FUNCTION OF REDUCING LOGISTICS COSTS

One of the main fields of logistics of production and sales-oriented companies is the management of containers. On the other hand, retailers need the profitable product distribution solutions to maximize efficiency and effectiveness of business processes. Practice has shown that the use of reusable containers brings significant savings in the optimization of logistic processes. The fundamental task of reusable containers is cost saving in transport itself, but also saving through the reduction of the cost of transport packaging. This paper presents the application of reusable plastic containers in retail chains in Croatia and worldwide through the supply chain, while demonstrating the benefits and possible drawbacks of application of this type of transport packaging. The purpose and objective of the research is to direct the importance and justification of the use of reusable containers and the benefits that can be received by its application, or indicate any problems that occur in comparison with other transport packaging.