Horus by Hipli: The Story of a Software Shift for Reuse at Scale
From Hipli to Horus by Hipli: When Field Experience Leads to Software Innovation
At Hipli, reuse isn’t a concept—it’s a daily operational reality.
For the past five years, we’ve managed a fleet of over one million reusable parcels designed for e-commerce. This hands-on experience revealed a key insight: reuse only works when it’s supported and measured.
Our software journey began with the development of a consumer-facing app (me.hipli.fr), designed to guide individuals through the return process. At the same time, we built an internal tool for our cleaning partners—allowing them to scan parcels, update statuses, and streamline operations. As we matured, we expanded this platform to integrate client data: return rates, reuse cycles, waste avoided, and reporting to eco-organizations. This was our first step toward reuse traceability.
But we quickly realized we could go further: e-commerce isn’t the only sector concerned with reuse, and more importantly, many great initiatives remain invisible because they go unmeasured.
The Turning Point: Unlocking Reuse Potential Beyond E-commerce
In conversations with manufacturers, logistics providers, and retailers, we noticed reusable containers were everywhere: picking bins, wooden crates, transport rolls, plastic boxes… Yet without tracking, these assets were circulating blindly.
Some sat idle for weeks, others went missing—and no indicators were available to measure performance. In a world where every euro counts, that’s a hidden cost.
This realization drove us to take the next step.
Horus by Hipli: Bringing Visibility to Reusable Packaging Flows
We decided to create a dedicated software platform for tracking reusable containers, regardless of format or industry. Its name? Horus by Hipli.
The concept is simple: assign a unique ID to each container, then track its journey through every logistics stage. This enables our clients to visualize, in real time:
- Rotation rates by container type
- Bottlenecks or idle locations
- Potential losses or return discrepancies
- Average reuse cycles
- ROI for each reuse loop
Our goal is twofold: maximize the ROI of reuse, and finally provide tangible proof that reuse is a winning strategy—economically and environmentally.
Real-World Use Cases, Far Beyond E-commerce
Horus is already being used in multiple industrial and logistics sectors. One client in industrial machinery tracks technical bins circulating between assembly sites. With Horus, they identified a bottleneck in their return process and optimized reserve inventory levels.
Another client, in horticultural distribution, uses QR-coded crates to check whether garden centers return them after delivery. The result? Fewer losses and solid data to share with partners.
In every case, Horus enables the shift from trust-based logistics to data-driven management.
What We’ve Learned: Without Data, There’s No Scalable Reuse
Our experience with Hipli taught us that sustainability requires more than good intentions. To make reuse a new logistics standard, we need evidence—data—and above all, tools that are simple to use and flexible enough to fit different operational realities.
That’s the mission behind Horus by Hipli: to equip manufacturers, logistics providers, and brands with a solution that turns every reusable container into a measurable, traceable, and optimized asset.
What’s Next?
We don’t believe in disposable systems—but we also know the shift to reuse doesn’t happen overnight. It must be built.
With Horus by Hipli, we give companies the tools to accelerate this transition—without overhauling their entire model. Because a bin that circulates efficiently is a cost saved. Because a tracked container is a purchase avoided. And because a traceable system is a sustainable, credible, and profitable commitment.