Europe’s reuse revolution is well and truly underway, according to new research, but scaling these greener foodservice systems remains a multi-faceted challenge. By David Burrows.
Barometer shows reuse boost. The first edition of the European Reuse Barometer has revealed a “rapidly growing” reuse industry in Europe across sectors including takeaway and retail. Those involved in reusable packaging technology and trials have also been buoyed by how engaged consumers now are: 78% of the reuse systems report return rates above 75%, which demonstrates strong consumer commitment, according to InOff Plastic, which produced the report with Zero Waste Europe (ZWE), Planet Reuse and New European Reuse Alliance (ERA).
Disposables facing the music? Numerous new reusable packaging solutions have been launched in the past few years in all the sectors studied: takeaway, retail and e-commerce. The barometer “sets the tone while compiling incredible consumer engagement experiences and potentially game-changer initiatives at city and national level across Europe,” said ZWE reuse systems manager Nathan Dufour. “We now need bold policies and targeted economic measures to help make reusing (packaging) the natural habit of consumers and businesses alike.”
Takeaway’s breakaway from single-use. Some 44 reusable packaging systems were assessed across Europe’s takeaway sector. Most deal specifically with food containers (68%), while 23% are focused on cups and 9% include both containers and cups. Plastic is the most prominent material used (53% for containers and 72% for cups), followed by glass (28% and 6%) and metal (15% and 11%). “There has been so much development in the quality [of reusable cups] and how nice they are to drink out of,” Georgina Camfield, head of ESG at Aramark UK and global offshore, told us during an interview for the Footprint Intelligence report on cups.
Drip, drip. Indeed, gone on the days where you’re dribbling coffee down your chin and worried about it going on your suit or dress. There are also exciting developments regarding reusables for cold drinks, which are very popular in the education sector, according to UK caterers we have spoken to.
Cups for convenience. The dominant return model in takeaway packaging (cups and containers) is the ‘return on the go’ model. For Kleen Hub cups in Denmark, for example, users pay to have their drink in a reusable cup which is owned by the cafés. Once done, you scan the reusable cup’s QR code or RFID and then tap the payment method on the Hub’s tap & reuse device. However, the card is only charged if the cup is not returned. A QR code shows the return locations and how much time is left to return the cup.
Caterer’s glass act. The solutions operating with a ‘return from home’ model in the takeaway sector are caterers that collect packaging on the same day. French catering company Fenotte provides its prepared food in reusable glass packaging. Once used, the packaging is collected after the event on the same day.
Bring it back. Some 70% of solutions offer consumers the option to return their reusable packaging manually at the counter in partnering restaurants of a given network. This collecting model is dominant, both for food containers and cups, according to the barometer. The second and third most prevalent systems for collecting reusable containers from consumers are non-automated collection bins and automated reverse vending machines (RVMs).
Pushing forward with reverse vending. In some countries, reuse systems are slipping more easily into everyday habits than others. The extensive network of RVMs in Germany, for example, plays a “pivotal role” in scaling the use of reusable packaging. “Germans are familiar with using these machines to return bottles and reclaim their deposits,” the barometer notes, so adapting these machines to accept various packaging types is a “natural progression”. It’s also worth noting that people prefer returning potentially dirty containers or cups to a machine rather than to a person.
Un’appy customers. Automation is not the be-all and end-all, mind. Get too techie and it can be a turn-off for some customers. In Europe, the existing app-based systems have reportedly proven “inefficient and costly”. Recirculate Systems is an example of an approach that doesn’t require an app (which can also be seen as intrusive): a code has been developed that can attach a deposit to any object and automatically refund it upon return, regardless of where it was purchased, or which payment platform was used.
Go (re)fund me. Financial incentives like deposit return systems and post-paid deposits are game changers for reusable packaging, explained Iara Beekma Reis, head of advocacy at the New ERA. “They make sustainability easy and appealing for consumers by turning returns into savings,” she added.
Cash cowed. More than half of the reusable packaging solutions surveyed (52%) have not yet reached profitability. Some 57% of the solutions expect to become profitable within five years with the rest looking at six to 11 years. The average amount of funds raised to date is between €3 to €5m. Across the 85 reusable companies that responded to this year’s barometer a total of €186m is needed to really scale these. Extrapolate this to the 381 reusable solutions providers currently operating throughout Europe and this rises to €835m.
Cheap. High operating costs, lack of demand and challenges in pricing against cheap single-use options are all proving problematic. Still, some contract caterers are building reusable packaging into the packaging expenditure when launching new sites. “Clients want to see a change,” one told us. A little help from the government would not go amiss. The barometer emphasises the need for legislative support and financial investment to sustain the growth in reusables and overcome these challenges. Scotland is looking to do just that with a charge on single-use cups.
Light fingered. Another cost is when people keep hold of or lose the containers or cups. One caterer we spoke to lost 1,000 cups in four months (or two cups per working day per floor in the building). “A lot of people didn’t realise the cups were reusable,” explained Annette Price, ESG manager at The Good Eating Co, part of Sodexo UK&I. “We still reach the carbon breakeven point for reuse [but] it’s not exactly the mentality you want to encourage.”
Light footprints. Only 3 out of the 44 takeaway solutions assessed in the barometer have run a dedicated life cycle assessment. ReCircle, for example, conducted an LCA comparing its Swiss BOX to single-use takeaway containers, and found it must be used between 13 and 15 times depending on the type of washing to have less impact than the average disposable box. However, it can in theory be used up to 200 times. Clubzero also assessed its CupClub against alternative disposable single-use coffee cups and a returnable ceramic cup. Through its 1.3+ million orders, CupClub reportedly saved 2.6 million single-use plastic packaging items, 39 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and 260m3 of water being used to manufacture new single-use packaging items. Adopting reusables can “greatly support brands to reduce their scope 3 emissions”, Clubzero said.
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