Convenient Instead of Complicated: How to Make Reusable Packaging an Easy Choice for Consumers

Whether it’s a coffee to go or a veggie bowl for lunch at the office – takeaway services are an everyday convenience for many people. However, the prevalence of disposable packaging for takeaway food and drinks has a significant impact on the environment. According to the German Packaging Act, all companies that offer takeaway food and drinks are obliged to offer their customers a reusable alternative. Several years after the new law came into force, reusable packaging is still not being used sufficiently. The Digital Centre WertNetzWerke is working together with companies and relevant stakeholders to overcome this hurdle.

Convenient instead of complicated

Consumers often report about infrastructure deficits that make the return of reusable packaging inconvenient. The practical project “Reusable containers at reception” from the Digital Centre WertNetzWerke project addressed the challenge of underutilised reusable packaging options by simplifying the return of reusable containers in everyday office life. The aim was to motivate consumers to increasingly switch to environmentally friendly packaging options. Under the motto ‘Convenient instead of complicated’, the idea of accepting reusable containers directly at the reception desk of companies was trialled.

The trial in practice

In practice, this meant that seven participating companies, each with at least 100 employees, set up a collection box at reception for a period of four weeks. Instead of customers and employees having to return the containers to the respective catering establishments, they were able to drop off their reusable containers at the reception of their own office. From there, they were regularly collected by a special bicycle courier service and returned to the catering establishments. By scanning a QR code on the containers, the deposit was credited back to the users.

The feedback from participants was consistently positive, even in cases when the actual rate of utilising the new service did not reach a peak. In particular, better visibility of the offer and a focus on increasing the acceptance among employees were identified as points where additional engagement is needed. For this reason and due to the positive feedback, some of the participating companies have decided to continue the reusable initiatives on their own.

Simple and accessible solutions

Simple solutions such as the return of reusable containers at a company’s reception often have a great impact because they respond directly to consumer needs. By providing a simple and accessible return option, the inhibition threshold to use reusable packaging is lowered. In turn, this allows employees to contribute to environmental protection with little effort on the part of the company.

Cooperation between companies in value creation networks

This practical project was carried out as part of the #MehrMehrweg campaign by Mehrweg.einfach.machen, a joint project of Project Together, WWF and the Mehrweg Verband with support from the Digital Centre WertNetzWerke.

From reusable container suppliers Vytal and Recup and the bicycle courier service Pickshare to participating companies such as Zalando and the law firm Orth Kluth, the results of the trial show that sustainable action is possible in all sectors. Moreover, the “Reusable containers at reception” practical project confirms how small but targeted measures in everyday office life can make a significant contribution to environmental protection. Through cooperation between companies, civil society, and the public sector, innovative solutions that make ecological and economic sense can be developed and implemented.

For further questions, please contact Janna Prager.