Give Back Box chooses PUDO Inc as Canadian launch partner; building on paid-return recycling solution established in the US and UK
TORONTO, Aug. 26, 2019 /CNW/ - PUDO Inc. ("PUDO" or "the Company") (CSE:PDO; OCTQB:PDPTF), North America's only carrier-neutral parcel pick-up and drop-off Network, is pleased to announce that US-based Give Back Box ("GBB"), has chosen PUDO Inc. to launch its highly successful products and packaging recycling and donation platform in Canada, effectively connecting e-retailers and online shoppers in North America and the UK with a convenient and economical way to give back by giving back. Under the terms of an Agreement, services will commence in September, 2019, when GBB partner ALDO Shoes (Aldo Group Inc.) begins including Give Back Box pre-paid donation box shipping labels and directions for use, in all of their e-commerce parcels.
Give Back Box founder and CEO Monika Wiela has created an integrated platform that leverages the multi-trillion-dollar e-commerce volume and the mountains of packaging and landfill it creates, in direct and immediate benefit of millions of disadvantaged people and the charitable organizations that serve them, plus the environment. Critical to the success of GBB is successful management and navigation of the last-mile, which is where PUDO's coast-to-coast Network of carrier-neutral parcel pick-up and drop-off locations figure prominently.
"I was referred to PUDO by our UK partner Collect Plus," says Monika Wiela. "In order for us to be successful, we must provide our retail, charitable and consumer users with convenient and seamless access to donation boxes, donation box drop-off or pick-up locations, pre-printed labels, and easy online activation. By partnering with PUDO and integrating our donation platform with their Network platform, we are confident that we can grow in Canada as quickly as we have grown in the UK and the US, where we have hundreds of forward thinking network partners, including ALDO, and where PUDO-like (pick-up/drop-off) networks are already ubiquitous."
Like PUDO, Give Back Box is a next-generation green technology company whose business model disrupts and exploits a growing trend to solve problems created or exacerbated by that trend, to create a business sector that did not exist previously.
As a shoe retailer living in Chicago, Wiela was keenly aware of the impact of e-commerce, and that:
- E-commerce has created a virtual forest of cardboard packaging — over 1 billion trees worth per year, according to forbes.com — most of which ends up in landfill, all of which accelerates climate change.
- Poverty and homelessness are on the rise in North America; with 553,700 homeless in the US (BBC) and 35,000 in Canada (Homeless Hub), and 58.5M Americans living in poverty or deep poverty (UNHR).
- North American consumers have tonnes and tonnes of 'stuff' they don't need or want — no longer fits, is out of style, is out dated — and they have no time or means to transport it for donation.
Give Back Box enables consumers, retailers and charities to positively disrupt the e-commerce supply chain in benefit of all stakeholders, plus contribute favourably to poverty and homelessness. In Canada, the PUDO-GBB partnership will enable consumers to use their e-commerce shipping box as a donation box in which to place unwanted items for delivery to a local charity, at no cost to the consumer. Consumers have the option of targeting their donation to a specific charity, by paying a small flat fee for shipping.
Participating retailers will include pre-printed and pre-paid shipping labels in all outbound e-commerce parcels, inviting consignees to fill their empty shipping box with unwanted but functional items of clothing, household, and small electronic items of any description; affix the supplied label to the donation box, and send it on its way via pre-paid delivery to the nearest participating charity outlet for disbursement or sale.
PUDO will manage the receipt, consolidation and delivery of Give Back Boxes to participating charities, allowing non-profits to concentrate on fulfilling their missions of feeding, clothing, housing, re-training, and otherwise assisting people struggling with disadvantage. In all cases, cardboard Give Back Boxes will be recycled and diverted from landfills.
"We are thrilled by this new partnership with Give Back Box," says PUDO CEO Kurtis Arnold. "As a next gen green Company ourselves, we are very pleased to add another very meaningful layer to the suite of services we can offer not only Canadian consumers, but our existing retail and 3PL customers as well."
As e-commerce continues to grow by double digits annually, last-mile gridlock grows in lockstep. The one and only cost, time and friction saving solution to resolve last-mile e-commerce gridlock in North America, is PUDO — every player can participate and benefit through a real time, scalable, pay-as-you-go virtual consolidation of their logistic assets and PUDO's.
About PUDO Inc.
PUDO Inc. is developing North America's only carrier-neutral parcel pick-up/drop-off technology and logistics network, as a means of solving the last-mile parcel-traffic-control gridlock that is crippling the $550B E-commerce sector. E-commerce is faced with unprecedented cost control issues, based on disproportionately high last-mile delivery costs relating to undeliverable parcels, and parcels returning for refund or exchange. As labour and fuel costs increase in tandem with parcel traffic and volume, the problem worsens.
PUDO's team of logistics and parcel traffic management experts have created a market intelligence and trends driven solution comprising courier-neutral plug-and-play technology for desktop and mobile, plus a strategically located network of parcel pick-up and drop-off PUDOpoints for pay-as-you-go use by all players within the E-commerce ecosystem.
Adopting PUDO technology shortens the last mile for the behemoths of E-commerce — fulfillment and distribution centers representing thousands of retailers and millions of consumers — by instantly extending their parcel staging and consolidation network and providing secure 'near end of the line' storage for the 30% of E-commerce parcels that are undeliverable on first attempt. PUDO's technology and network virtually eliminate costs associated with second-attempt deliveries, un-attended parcel theft and spoilage, and mis-managed reverse logistics on returns, and provides couriers, retailers, and consumers with badly needed cost controls, choice, and convenience.
PUDO was founded in 2015 and was recently named one of the Top 20 most innovative public technology companies by the Canadian Innovation Exchange. After two years of industry and market research, and successful beta testing the technology and PUDOpoint geography and protocols with major logistics stakeholders, PUDO is ready to activate its network through strategic partnerships. Activation will enable all stakeholders within the network to access and control scalable, fluid, strategic consolidation in real time when and where needed, to lower costs and satisfy customer expectations.
For more information, please visit: www.pudopoint.com or www.pudoinc.com.
About Give Back Box
Give Back Box was founded by Monika Wiela in 2012. The purpose of Give Back Box® is to provide consumers with an effortless and convenient means of donating used household items, while ensuring that cardboard shipping packaging serves a charitable secondary purpose before being recycled. Further, Give Back Box® offers online retailers a plug-and-play CSR and sustainability solution. For all participants — a simple and meaningful way to take part in a truly good cause.
For more information, please visit: www.givebackbox.ca.
Information in this press release that is not current or historical factual information may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of securities laws, such as statements regarding estimated revenues from new contracts, increased parcel volume and possible future expansions of PUDO's operations. This information is based on current expectations and assumptions of management, including assumptions concerning PUDO's ability to integrate its new customers into its network and successfully execute on its new and existing contracts. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "plan", "intend", "can", "will", "should", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Risks, uncertainties, and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, without limitation, uncertainties with respect to service implementation, the economic results of the relationship on the operations of the Company, changes in general economic, market, or business conditions, and those risks set out in the Company's public documents filed on SEDAR. This press release, may contain future-oriented financial information or financial outlook within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such future-oriented financial information or financial outlook has been prepared for the purpose of providing information about management's reasonable expectations as to the anticipated results of its proposed business activities. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes.
The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by law.
SOURCE PUDO Inc.
about PUDO, please contact: Karen Speight, 1-506-694-1250, [email protected]
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