Why Galaxy Pack is bringing reusable packaging innovation to Wisconsin

Column by Andres Mora, CEO and Founder of Galaxy Pack

Five years ago, I was working as a commercial manager for one of the largest plastic manufacturers in Colombia, selling a variety of plastic products, including stretch film used to wrap pallets. It was a product I knew well, and one that many of my customers relied on every day.

But my customers were beginning to ask me a difficult question: Could they find a packaging solution that was both more sustainable and less expensive?

Stretch film is relatively inexpensive, which makes replacing it a challenge. At the same time, many of the companies I worked with were facing growing pressure to reduce plastic waste and their carbon footprint, particularly from customers and headquarters in Europe.

I began looking for an alternative. That research eventually led to the idea for Galaxy Pack and our reusable pallet covers, which are designed to replace single-use stretch film. Instead of using a new plastic film for every shipment, our reusable covers can be used up to 2,500 times, or for approximately five years.

I initially presented the idea to the company I worked for, but because its business was focused on plastics, the company wasn’t interested in pursuing it. I saw an opportunity to build the solution myself. After receiving a grant from Unilever, I was able to purchase the equipment needed to get started, and Galaxy Pack was launched in Colombia in 2020.

Initial applications reveal opportunity

My first customer came in 2022. LATAM Airlines was looking for ways to reduce the plastic used to move luggage from warehouses to planes as part of its goal to become one of the world’s most sustainable airlines. We developed a solution for the airline and shipped the reusable covers from Colombia to Chile.

That first project showed us there was a larger opportunity.

Today, Galaxy Pack works with companies across the logistics, manufacturing, and food industries. Our customers and partners have included DHL, PepsiCo, L’Oréal, Nestlé, Mercado Libre, and Ferrero. These companies are looking for ways to reduce their use of stretch film while also finding opportunities to lower operating costs.

For companies using our solution, the potential cost savings can be significant. Our reusable pallet covers can reduce packaging costs by up to 90% compared with stretch film. At the same time, each reusable cover can help avoid significant amounts of plastic waste and reduce carbon emissions across the supply chain.

That combination of economic and environmental impact is at the center of what we are building at Galaxy Pack.

Finding a future in Wisconsin

As we looked at expanding into the U.S., we began looking for a place where we could build both the business and the next stage of our technology. That’s what brought us to Wisconsin.

Through the Accelerate Wisconsin initiative with the help of gener8tor, we have been able to build relationships with investors, potential customers, and other organizations throughout Wisconsin and the Midwest. We see an opportunity to establish manufacturing near Milwaukee and use Wisconsin as a base to expand across the U.S.

Our immediate goal is to complete our seed funding round and begin establishing our operations in the state. We are also looking for Wisconsin companies that currently use stretch film and are willing to test our reusable pallet covers through pilot projects. Whether that means one pallet, two pallets, or more, we want to give companies an opportunity to see how the solution works in their operations.

Looking further ahead, we see two major opportunities for Galaxy Pack in the U.S.

The first is developing a rental model that would make our reusable packaging even more accessible to customers. The second is developing an automated system that can install our pallet covers without requiring a person to do it manually. We believe Wisconsin’s universities and technology community could play an important role in helping us develop that technology.

Ultimately, our goal is to make reusable packaging easier and more cost-effective for companies to adopt at scale. We believe Wisconsin can be an important part of that growth while also benefiting from solutions that help reduce plastic waste and carbon emissions.

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