About
Disposable plastic packaging has become the norm for food products, but it consumes fossil resources, contributes to CO₂ emissions and microplastics, and adds to an ever-growing mountain of waste. Reusable food packaging offers a way to reduce this impact, provided that the systems and packaging are designed to be convenient and user-friendly. This research investigates how reusable systems can be designed, organised and scaled up to benefit consumers, businesses and the environment. We are focusing on challenging product categories for home use, starting with condiments and soft fruit. These products present significant challenges in terms of product residues, food safety and brand positioning, fragility and hygiene. By tackling these challenges, we generate insights that can be applied to a wide range of food categories, thereby supporting a broader shift towards reusable packaging.
RE2PACK is investigating why reusable packaging is not yet the norm by identifying the barriers across the entire system. Together with packagers, labellers, retailers and cleaning companies, we are experimenting with new roles, business models and supply chains. We are conducting research into consumers’ needs and preferences regarding sustainable combinations of products and packaging, and we are studying and testing reusable packaging in pilot projects and real-world settings. In doing so, we examine aspects such as usage, return behaviour, food safety, perceived sustainability and the way in which packaging is collected, cleaned and displayed in shops. This systemic perspective offers new insights into where the main obstacles lie and what needs to change to enable reuse on a larger scale.
Making reusable packaging the norm requires structural changes, but there are still significant gaps in our knowledge. There are still major knowledge gaps regarding how packagers, retailers, cleaning companies and other stakeholders can adapt their supply chains and business models to facilitate reuse. Insights into consumers’ needs and preferences regarding sustainable combinations of products and packaging remain fragmented. There is also little evidence on how reusable packaging performs in practice in terms of sustainability, shelf life, collection, cleaning and in-store presentation.
Seizing opportunities and creating solutions
Method
RE2PACK aims to tackle these problems by supporting the large-scale introduction of reusable packaging. We develop and test reusable systems in selected product categories and translate our findings into practical tools and guidelines for industry and education. The research focuses on various aspects:
1. Creating sustainable supply chains
RE2PACK brings together all players in the supply chain – from packagers and labellers to retailers and cleaning companies – to develop reusable packaging systems that benefit people, the planet and business. We assess the sustainability performance of different system configurations and enable players in the value chain to make better choices.
2. Engaging consumers
To make reuse the norm, consumer behaviour must change. RE2PACK investigates people’s needs and preferences regarding combinations of reusable products and packaging, and uses these insights to design behavioural interventions that promote the purchase and continued use of products in reusable packaging.
3. Designing for reuse
Reusable packaging must work for everyone: users and stakeholders. We are investigating design elements of systems, packaging and services that influence the appeal, usability and intrinsic sustainability of reusable packaging systems, and drawing up design guidelines to support their wider acceptance in society.
4. Integration and dissemination
The project’s findings are translated into a practical toolkit, applied to other product categories, and used to develop up-to-date teaching materials. By sharing these resources with professionals and teachers, we support the wider adoption of solutions for reusable packaging in practice and in teaching programmes.
Through research and education, we are accelerating the transition to more reusable packaging systems (RPS) in the coming years. We aim to transform supply chains by redefining the roles and business models for reusable packaging, in collaboration with packers, retailers, cleaning companies and other stakeholders. We support behavioural change by gaining an understanding of consumers’ needs and preferences regarding sustainable combinations of products and packaging.
Designing and testing with reuse in mind by evaluating reusable packaging under real-world conditions: durability, shelf life, collection, cleaning and in-store presentation.
Revolutionary Reusable Packaging 