Peak season puts every part of a warehouse under pressure. Orders surge, extra shifts are added, and there is a constant push to keep goods moving without missing a delivery window. In that environment, it is completely natural for everyone to focus on getting orders out the door.

That is also when waste quietly creeps in. Cartons are sized up “just in case”, extra fillers are thrown in, label backing paper overflows from bins, and pallets leave the building with more air than product. It keeps orders flowing, but it chips away at margins and makes it harder to hit sustainability targets. When distribution and transport already take a noticeable share of costs, every unnecessary pallet and part-empty trailer has a real impact.

At BEC, we design our technology to tackle exactly that. Using tools such as data capture, voice, linerless labelling, and our Pick and Pack Volumetric algorithm, we help warehouses maintain peak-season throughput while reducing unnecessary waste.

Using Less Packaging without Slowing Packing Lines

Packaging is one of the clearest signs of waste during peak. As pressure builds, teams reach for familiar carton sizes and “top up” with fillers rather than stopping to consider the ideal option. It works, but it is not efficient.

By integrating handheld devices and voice solutions with your WMS, we build simple rules into day-to-day packing. Operatives see or hear prompts for the right carton size and type, based on product dimensions and the way the order has been built. They do not have to stop and work it out; the guidance is already in the workflow. Packing benches stay busy, but there is less void space and less overpacking with every order.

Real-time scanning and confirmation give you a clear view of how packaging is used. You can see where larger cartons are frequently selected, where there is heavy reliance on void fill, and where a small change in setup could eliminate much of the waste before the next peak.

Cutting Label Waste with Linerless Media

Labels are another area where small changes add up quickly. Traditional labels create a constant stream of backing liner that has to be collected, binned and taken away, which only intensifies as volumes rise. By lunchtime, it is easy to have bins full of paper that adds no value.

Linerless labels remove that liner completely. More labels fit on each roll, there are fewer media changes, and there is no backing paper to manage. Over time, this can significantly reduce the amount of label material used and cut down on the packaging and transport associated with consumables.

Day to day, the impact is straightforward:

• Less material heading to waste
• Fewer deliveries of label rolls and cores
• Cleaner, safer packing areas during peak

Building Better Pallets with the Pick and Pack Volumetric Algorithm

Once orders are packed, the next opportunity to cut waste is on the pallet. Part-filled pallets and poorly stacked loads take up more space than they need to, which means more pallets on the trailer, more journeys, and more fuel used.

Our Pick and Pack Volumetric algorithm is designed to prevent that. Working alongside your WMS, ERP or voice-led processes, it calculates the most space-efficient way to build each pallet while respecting your safety, orientation and product-type rules. Your team follow clear, simple instructions; the complex planning happens in the background.

Over time, this leads to fewer pallets leaving the building, better-filled trailers and less wrap and other pallet packaging being used. You are still moving the same volume of product, but each pallet does more work, and each journey carries more value.

Making Every Pick, Scan and Step Count

Sustainability is not just about packaging and pallets; it is also about how effectively you use people, equipment and energy across the whole shift.

Voice-directed workflows, rugged tablets and real-time scanning help eliminate double handling, unnecessary travel and repeat work. When pickers are guided straight to the correct location and confirm picks hands-free, you move more product with the same trucks, batteries and labour. Energy use per order drops, and the working day feels smoother for the team on the floor.

Turning Improvements into Everyday Practice

The biggest gains come when these improvements stop being “peak season projects” and become the way the warehouse runs year-round.

We help build carton rules, linerless labelling, volumetric pallet building and performance reporting into the systems and routines you already use. Dashboards can show packaging usage, label consumption and pallet counts alongside lines picked per hour and on-time despatch, making it clear that cutting waste and maintaining throughput can go hand in hand.

Peak trading will always be demanding, but it does not have to be wasteful. With linerless labels, smarter pallet building through our Pick and Pack Volumetric algorithm and data-led warehouse processes, you can move the same volume, create less waste and take a real step towards a more sustainable peak season.

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