Return reusable containers everywhere: First pilot successfully completed
The first pilot trial in Germany to implement the pioneering return concept for reusable containers for out-of-home consumption of food and beverages has been successfully completed. This milestone is the result of committed collaboration between various stakeholders and marks a significant step towards more sustainable packaging solutions. KLU is a partner of the project.
The campaign was funded by the Federal Environment Agency and the 'Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt' (DBU). Running from August to October, the campaign was able to build on the broad support and great commitment of all those involved. The close cooperation with the Community of Haar, the three reusable system providers reCIRCLE, RECUP and Relevo as well as the participating local businesses enabled the organizers of ReFrastructure to achieve the goals set for this first cross-provider pilot.
In contrast to existing reusable food-container systems, in this pilot project reusable containers were taken back across all suppliers in the last months. Suppliers included five restaurants and two bakeries. Only the containers that they were unable to use themselves were collected by ReFrastructure and professionally cleaned by the Munich-based company 'Profimiet' before being returned to the cycle. This kept the distances short and the ecological impact as low as possible.
Majority of restaurants want to continue
In a final survey, the majority of restaurants were willing to continue taking back reusable containers across all providers if the project is continued.
"When the ReFrastructure Foundation explained to us what the pilot project was about, we agreed after a moment's consideration. Our restaurant has been using reusable food containers for a long time. We believe that everyone can and should do something to alleviate the waste problem. If the cross-reusable return system is continued in the community of Haar, we would also be involved," says Giuseppe Montesano, owner of Ristorante Da Pino.
Raising awareness about circular economy
The focus of the pilot was to test the digital infrastructure, which enables seamless cooperation between different reusable suppliers and thus cross-supplier take-back of food containers, logistics and flushing. Another central component was the "Haar geht den Mehrweg" campaign, which was designed to inform and activate citizens about the project. Through this measures, the pilot not only provided a proof of concept for the digital infrastructure, but also served to educate and raise awareness among residents about the circular economy, the packaging revolution and the benefits of reusable packaging.
In an accompanying exhibition on site, almost 700 visitors informed themselves about the topics mentioned over the course of the three months. In addition, the opportunity to return reusable containers at this location was used with 80 returns. In total, over 550 containers were used and more than 3,500 transactions were recorded on the digital infrastructure.
According to a survey at the end of the pilot, 60% of the citizens participating were aware of the pilot. The proportion of respondents who are satisfied with the range of reusable packaging in Munich-Haar is also almost 18 percent higher at the end of the pilot period than at the beginning.
Reusable take-away still in its infancy
Despite all the satisfaction with the progress and the findings of the pilot project, the awareness and use of reusable take-away food and drinks is still in its infancy – despite the obligation to offer reusable food and drinks since January 2023.
"We are very satisfied with the results of the pilot test and were able to show that cross-vendor returns are feasible and accepted by consumers. Nevertheless, we had hoped to increase the proportion of reusable packaging for food and drinks consumed out of home – but the three-month period was too short for this and the framework conditions were simply not right", says Tilmann Walz, one of the founders of ReFrastructure. "The obligation to offer reusable packaging has not yet been fully implemented by many retailers and, as a result, the use of this packaging is still far from being a real alternative to disposable options."
After completing this pilot, the mostly volunteer employees of ReFrastructure are not taking a break. Together with the Mehrwegverband Deutschland e.V. (German Reusable Packaging Association), Kühne Logistics University, the 'Initiative Plastikfreie Stadt' and the Wuppertal Institute, the findings and experiences from this pilot are now being reviewed and used to prepare and improve further projects.
The results and experiences from the pilot project in Haar will be published in the coming months and shared with industry stakeholders and the public.
ReFrastructure - Foundation for digital reusable infrastructure
ReFrastructure stands for a neutral digital infrastructure on which data from different reusable systems can be exchanged. It is aimed at system and logistics providers as well as providers offering clean-up services for reusable packaging.
The declared goal is to use resources more efficiently and thus reduce the ecological footprint. It also makes it much easier for end customers to return reusable packaging, as – for the first time – this can be done across all providers.
By focusing on the common good, ReFrastructure offers a neutral platform on which the data sovereignty of the participating companies is preserved. In contrast to conventional platforms, which are often geared towards profit-oriented models, ReFrastructure focuses on the benefits for society and the environment.
ReFrastructure was launched in 2021 as an initiative of the 'Mehrwegverband Deutschland ' and has been a registered non-profit GmbH since November 2022. With the support of numerous volunteer reusable enthusiasts, as well as funding from the Federal Environment Agency and the 'Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt', ReFrastructure was able to carry out an initial pilot test.
More information:
ReFrastructure – Stiftung für digitale Mehrweginfrastruktur gGmbH
www.refrastructure.org
Niko König
m. + 49 177 65 21 904
e. niko.koenig@refrastructure.org