According to BILLA (the shop chain), each of their containers made an average of 30 trips a year to growers and shops. Naturally, economic benefits played a major role. It is obvious that financial improvements were among the decisive factors in BILLA’s decision to join the Kisten-Pool, but the quality aspects were also of great importance. Growers used to force 20–22 heads of lettuce into a cardboard carton to keep packaging costs down. Instead, 12–14 heads of lettuce were placed in a reusable container and the consumer was offered a higher-quality,more attractive product. There was far less damaged fruit and vegetables thanks to the containers – which was also a profitability factor. BILLA introduced a debit/credit system for the containers with suppliers, but exchanged one for one whenever possible.