Imagine a world where all packaging is designed to be reused - no waste, no litter on our lands, no plastic in our oceans…

Customers - no matter where they are, at home or out - can buy and consume the goods they want in reusable packaging that they can easily return.

Brands and retailers create attractive and well designed durable packaging that adds brand value and can be reused multiple times.

The packaging is safely washed and refilled by an efficient infrastructure of washing and logistics providers.

Local and national governments support a thriving reuse sector - growing jobs, economic benefit and the UK’s global standing as a leader on reuse.

This world is closer than you think, and GoUnpackaged is helping to bring it to life

The Problem of Single-Use Packaging

Concept courtesy of The Ellen Macarthur Foundation. Data sources.

We are facing a triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

The problem of waste and pollution arising from single-use packaging is one of the most visible signs of the triple planetary crisis.

Globally, brands and retailers are placing billions of units of single-use plastic packaging on the market annually. Whilst packaging is necessary to protect and transport goods, most modern consumer-goods packaging is single-use plastic, which creates significant environmental problems.

Traditionally we recycle some packaging which works for glass, metal and cardboard but not plastic. However - glass, metal and cardboard are still precious materials and are resource and carbon intensive at all stages of production, use and recycling. The problem is the proliferation of mainly single-use packaging, and its associated waste, in a world of dwindling resources.

We cannot recycle our way out of the single-use plastic packaging crisis!

What is Reusable Packaging?

Reusable packaging:

  • is a piece of packaging designed to achieve multiple rotations, for the same purpose for which it was originally used (e.g. a pot of yoghurt that gets returned). 

  • comes in many forms, from refillable packaging owned by the consumer to “pre-filled” reusable packaging owned by the brand or company. 

  • exists in both B2C and B2B (transit/ supply chain) applications. 

The 4 types of reusable packaging:

Reusable packaging is picked up from home, refilled and returned to the customer by a service provider

Users refill their reusable container at home

Users refill their reusable container away from home, e.g. in a supermarket

Users return the reusable packaging at a café, shop or drop off point

Towards a Circular Economy

Reusable packaging sits within a wider framework of The Circular Economy - where materials are designed to be reused rather than disposed of - and follows the principles of the Waste Hierarchy which shows the order of preference for actions to reduce waste: prevention, reuse, recycling, energy recovery (incineration) and then disposal (landfill).

Where packaging can’t be prevented (e.g. by selling products loose), there is an opportunity to switch into reusable packaging.

Increasing the uptake of reusable packaging, in all sectors, is essential for reducing the total amount of packaging produced and consumed

The Benefits of Reusable Packaging

Well designed and implemented reusable packaging systems bring more than just environmental benefits for businesses:

Commercial

Reusable packaging can protect businesses from unpredictable packaging & materials costs in a volatile market

Customer

Build brand loyalty, customer retention and consumer benefits into durable reusable packaging

Operational

Improved logistics efficiencies through well designed reusable packaging, optimised for the supply chain

Increasing The Take Up of Reuse

Some businesses have carried out reusable packaging pilots; however, to date, most reuse pilots have been individualistic and not designed for scale, or wide scale supply chain adoption. Often reuse is seen as an “add on”, rather than part of a core business strategy. 

Yet businesses need to get ahead of a changing legislative landscape. Whether in the UK, Europe or as part of the Global Plastics Treaty - countries are implementing policies focused on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) designed to reduce waste and make businesses pay the full cost of dealing with the waste arising from their packaging - as such, it will become increasingly more expensive to place single-use plastic packaging on the market so businesses must develop alternatives. 

  • What businesses need to do

    Businesses must urgently review their commitments to, and action, on:

    • Reducing single-use packaging

    • Developing, and scaling, reusable packaging

    • Collaborating across the supply chain on standardised solutions - to drive volume and reduce costs

    With our help, you can find the right reusable packaging solution for your business.

  • What government needs to do

    The right legislation would:

    • Remove the current first-mover disadvantage and create a level playing for all businesses

    • Enable industry to work together with the state to develop the necessary infrastructure and services for reuse to work

    • Give the necessary stability for long-term investment in reuse

    Our work helps policy makers design the right regulatory framework to scale reuse.

Move closer to the circular economy

Get in touch to discuss how we can help you: