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Innovations in Reuse - a Sustainable Solution

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that reuse is a $10 billion+ opportunity that can significantly reduce the environmental impact of single use packaging waste.

Martin Blacher
Smithers

Martin Blacher, Director of Sustainability at Bockatech, spoke at the Sustainability in Packaging Europe conference earlier this week about developing new manufacturing technologies so that brands and converters can take advantage of this untapped opportunity, with “low cost durable containers that allow innovative reuse models at scale.”

Blacher said, “Reuse is throwing down a challenge to materials and packaging manufacturers to come up with new solutions that really suit this format of packaging.” Bockatech, a five-year old green tech company and the developer of a new manufacturing technology called Eco-Core, creates technology for both single use packaging and reusable packaging, and licenses it to others to use. Bockatech currently holds licenses in Europe and the US.

Blacher explained the current reuse model that was created by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation:

Refill at Home

One example is for hand cleaners or similar products, where the consumer buys a hand pump bottle in a supermarket, but the refills come in the form of pouches and are refilled at home, so that excess plastic or hand pumps don't have to be produced.

Returning from Home

Reusable packs are delivered to, and collected from, users at home. One example is Loop, a delivery service using high value packs that are delivered to customers in their home. The customer returns the containers when their next delivery arrives. Said Blacher, “To-go-wise, I think this is probably a very fertile area for the likes of the new food delivery companies like Deliveroo, where if they're delivering regularly to households, they can drop off reusable packaging and then pick it up again when the next delivery is dropped in.”

Return On-the-Go

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