When the pandemic hit, the consumer goods industry had to move quickly to make the sanitizers, baby food and other essentials people needed to stay home — all while keeping supply chain workers safe.

Protecting the health of truck drivers, CPG facility employees and their families was of paramount importance. But there was a problem in the supply chain: paperwork, and lots of it. Many stops for goods along their journey required forms, ink and old-fashioned, in-person sign off.

What initially began as a safety measure to protect workers and their families is now becoming a way of improving delivery efficiency beyond the pandemic.

To help the process go digital — and distanced — Consumer Brands united its supply chain partners and stakeholders to develop a working solution.

In June 2020, to solve this problem, Consumer Brands and its partners Vector, Accenture and Coyote Logistics convened the Contactless Freight Pickup and Delivery Task Force, comprised of CPG companies, carriers and retailers. Their collaboration created the contactless delivery standard, a new procedure that allows for no-touch freight pickup and delivery.

Using the standard, companies can ditch the paper-based delivery process in favor of a digitized supply chain — all while enhancing safety, increasing productivity and bringing transparency to every employee involved in the end-to-end ecosystem.

When the task force first tested the standard, they found not only did it keep employees safer, it also:

• Eliminated an estimated two tons of paper per year at each facility.

• Lowered costs by reducing the amount of time spent by drivers and facility employees at each pickup or drop off.

• Reduced average driver dwell time by 40 minutes at each facility, giving drivers more time on the road.

What initially began as a safety measure to protect workers and their families is now becoming a way of improving delivery efficiency beyond the pandemic.

The potential to save time, money, employee resources and the environment is on the table, and we are only scratching the surface,” said Tom Madrecki, vice president of supply chain at Consumer Brands. “Leveraging the contactless standard and replacing paper with digital transactions is a no-brainer for any shipper or receiver, enabling next-generation supply chains to become more efficient and resilient.”

In a new video, members of the Contactless Freight Pickup and Delivery Task Force, including Clorox and Coca-Cola, tell the story of the program and how it is revolutionizing the way their supply chains function.

Interested in joining the task force? Visit contactless-standardard.org.