The distinctive blue crates have travelled a long way since December 9, 1992 when Belgian, Dutch and German auction houses decided to replace their stocks of green, grey and blue crates with one blue returnable container.

The concept created by the limited liability company Euro Pool System caught on and was extended beyond the auctions with the launch of Euro Pool System International in 1998. There are now subsidiaries in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Spain and Italy.

Plans are in place for the next decade of business and Euro Pool is working with wholesaler Delhaize on a container return centre and, as a separate project, developing a foldable container that should reduce costs for retailers still further. According to general manager Arie de Bruijn another future target is new market sectors. 'The meat industry, the ready-to-eat meals sector and the dairy industry have all expressed considerable interest in our new container,' he said.