The trend toward refillable and reusable packaging is gaining momentum as more companies explore ways to reduce their use of single-use, hard-to-recycle packaging. This growth is partly driven by the goal of the Plastic Pact to deliver reusable packaging by 2025. Many of these initiatives are coming from startup and smaller brands, but multinational companies are also beginning to test the waters with small-scale trials and pilots. The dry food, household, and health and beauty sectors are currently the most active in this area.
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Nestlé Australia's new refillable toddler milk packaging should result in 40% less primary packaging weight each year.ThePackHub
Nestlé Australia has introduced a new refillable packaging system for its NAN SUPREMEpro Toddler dairy infant formula, which it says is a world first for the company. The refill system includes a reusable stainless steel can, 600-gram flexible pouches that go inside the can, a specially designed lid to keep the pouches snugly in the can, and a spoon made from 95% renewable, plant-based bioplastic. Parents can reorder refill bags online or sign up for a subscription service. A spokesperson for Nestlé said that the company was looking forward to hearing feedback from parents about the refillable system. In the coming months, the company will look at the potential to scale a refillable solution and continue to evaluate how it can reduce environmental impact. According to Nestlé, the new NAN SUPREMEpro Toddler ReFill system will result in 40% less primary packaging weight over the course of a year.
Procter & Gamble and German drugstore dm's adoption of GS1's reusable transport box extends to 32 Gillette brand items.ThePackHub
German drugstore dm, and consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble (P&G) have adopted the GS1 Smart-Box, an innovative, standardized, and reusable transport box developed jointly by industry, retail and GS1 Germany. The companies used the example of Gillette to demonstrate the solution’s potential in terms of efficiency: In one year, P&G was able to save more than 50 metric tons of disposable cardboard packaging in transport from the factory to retail distribution centers. So far, the manufacturer has only used the Smart-Box for 32 items from the Gillette range. Discussions are underway about its use in other categories, such as diapers/nappies and mouthwash. For the next step, P&G is now trying to save up to 30% of material in secondary packaging. The higher stability of the Smart-Box compared to a carton or tray on a pallet enables material savings in both primary and secondary packaging while also enabling lower CO2 emissions.
Circle K Sweden's returnable packaging scheme includes lunch boxes and mugs.ThePackHub
Circle K Sweden is testing a reusable circular packaging system where customers will be offered lunch boxes and mugs to borrow for their takeaway food and beverages. This solution is a pilot collaboration with Panter and Tingstad Packaging, where Tingstad provides the products, while Panter has developed a digital return system. The customer creates an account with Panter, then borrowed lunch boxes and mugs are scanned in the web app, and then the containers are returned to any connected partner within seven days. The project is initially running at several stations in the Gothenburg area, and will then be rolled out at all at the turn of the year. Circle K serves over 30,000 cups of coffee and 80,000 hot meals daily at its stations nationwide.
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