Start-up BOXO can continue to grow thanks to MIT innovation broker

BOXO wants to make reusable shipping packaging the norm. Every year, more than 87 million kilos of used boxes and bags end up in landfills in the Netherlands. "We should be able to change that," thought Lucas Hullegie,Okke de Jonge and Marcel Kleizen. That is why they founded BOXO: reusable shipping packaging and return systems for web shops. With the help of the MIT Innovation Broker, they can get advice on software and logistics to help them realise their growth plans.

The e-commerce sector is known to be a polluting one. Delivery vans drive back and forth to deliver parcels in record time, accompanied by mountains of shipping materials that then end up in the rubbish bin. To make the sector more sustainable, innovation is a must. In the total footprint of e-commerce, packaging has a significant share. That is why BOXO has developed reusable shipping packaging for online shops; a sustainable solution for packaging material as we know it today.

Never throw away packaging again

The aim is clear: to make reusable shipping packaging the norm for online shopping in the Netherlands. It works very simply. When you place an order with an online shop, you pay a deposit in the check-out. You then receive your parcel in a so-called Boxobag, which you return after receipt to a drop-off point near you. This could be the shop where you ordered the parcel, the supermarket or your sports club, for example. Here you will get your deposit back.

Challenges enough

Lucas and his associates are full of plans and ideas, but they come with quite a few challenges. For example, what is the ideal design for the Boxobag? How are you going to get it back efficiently? And how are you going to incorporate this technically in the web shops? For this, you not only need logistics solutions, but also software development.

MIT innovation broker

To take quick steps, a lot of funding is needed. For example, for obtaining advice, networking and guidance. This is why Lucas keeps a close eye on available subsidies. So when he saw the grant for hiring an MIT Innovation Broker at TKI Dinalog pass by, his interest was immediately piqued. Applying was very easy: "I accurately described what our plans were, what advice we wanted to seek and why. I submitted the grant application and within a few weeks we already received approval."

Expert advice

It was the perfect time for BOXO to hire e-commerce specialist Stephan Mulders from Sunshiners. Lucas: "He has all the knowledge to advise us on check-out set-up and software links with various carriers. With his advice, we can take big steps," Lucas says enthusiastically. "The next step is to realise drop-off points, because that opens up the business-to-consumer market for us." There is plenty of interest in BOXO's reusable shipping packaging. "We regularly hear: if you guys are ready, so are we!"