Does it really help all that much? Seems to me there is no point in bringing more empty containers to China than full ones back. There already is enough space for the full once, so what does one save by collapsing them? Not sure where the 25% less weight come from - another subject altogether (I don't think it is the air inside of the container...Also I think they are often in lower pressure anyway?).
From my limited experience in the freight and export business, I am skeptical that they managed to design a collapsable container and reduce weight without compromising the structural integrity of the container. Standing in a shipyard and seeing a 40-foot container almost being <i>thrown</i> around is awesome, but I can't see this standing up to the rigors of the day-to-day life of a container.
There's a u.s. company that reuses abandoned shipping containers , to build cheap homes for Mexican families.a family house built this way should cost $8000.<p><a href="http://renaissanceronin.wordpress.com/2008/11/01/drumroll-please-welcome-the-8000-shipping-container-home/" rel="nofollow">http://renaissanceronin.wordpress.com/2008/11/01/drumroll-pl...</a><p>So it would be probably much more effective to reuse container to build homes for the poor , than to fold them.
Here's a video of the collapsible container:<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHlTrOVv9gs" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHlTrOVv9gs</a>