Deliver Zero has arrived!

The new Reuse-Startup DeliverZero is working with Whole Foods Market Inc. to bring a reusable container option to the self-serve hot and cold food bars and counter deli’s in the US.

Customers can grab their food in DeliverZero reusable containers and pay a small deposit that’s fully refunded upon returning the containers to the store. When customers opt-in, they simply pack their food in a DeliverZero reusable container and bring it to the check-out counter just as they would for food they selected in single-use packaging. The POS will charge a fully refundable deposit between $1.00 - $2.00 depending on size, which the customer will get back when they return their reusable containers to the same Ideal Market stores in Denver or Boulder. The partnership has already prevented more than 6,000 single-use containers from ending up in the landfill and that number is expected to grow.

More creativity

Businesses will need to be more creative in order to close the ‘intention-action gap’ and ensure that their strategy is genuinely driven by a desire to be sustainable, rather than just a marketing ploy.

A great example of a business doing exactly this is Aldi, which has opened a brand new ‘green’ supermarket in Royal Leamington Spa, UK, which aims to reduce the average CO2 emissions produced by conventional supermarkets by twothirds. This shop also includes a module from the Czech company Miwa, which offers zero-waste shopping for coffee, nuts, almonds, and seeds in reusable containers. This strongly reduces the need for traditional single-use food packaging. Miwa’s solution, which has already succeeded in several European retail chains, is based primarily on standardised reusable capsules – circulating between shops, the service centre, and manufacturers – equipped with smart technology.

“We are proud to support a more sustainable and accessible food takeout option in Boulder,” said City of Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett. “Switching to durable takeout containers is not only convenient but is an important step toward building a culture of reuse in our community. It also gives us the opportunity to create a more circular system by keeping containers in use and out of the landfill.”

One such capsule saves almost 2,000 pieces of single-use packaging during its life cycle. It is also important for retailers that this system does not in any way disturb their existing logistic and operational processes. On the contrary, it brings them an economic and ecological advantage. Aldi also provides discounts on food sold and packaged into customers’ own containers.

Body Blow to Plastic

One year after introducing its ‘refill revolution’ to US stores, The Body Shop is continuing its fight against the global plastics crisis through new refillable product offerings and in-store stations.

In February, The Body Shop expanded its refill offerings beyond hair care, shower gels and hand soaps to include makeup with the launch of Peptalk Lipstick, which comes in a refillable case made from 100 percent recycled aluminium. In 2021, the beauty retailer announced an ambitious five-year plan to roll out refill stations in the majority of its stores and set aggressive targets to save 25 tons of plastic per year through the program. Refill stations are now available in 159 UK stores and over 500 globally. The Body Shop US now offers refill stations in 50 percent of its stores. Refilling at The Body Shop isn’t just better for the planet – it’s better for your wallet too because each refill contains an extra 50ml free.

We will not tackle the climate crisis without changing our consumption systems, individuals have a responsibility to stay informed and demand that politicians and global corporations make the planet their priority. The responsibility is frequently shifted to the individual to take responsibility for major societal problems, but personal sacrifice alone cannot bring about the shift we need to see. In a world where greenwashing is rife and environmentally harmful products are indistinguishable from environmentally friendly ones, trying to rescue the earth via consumer choice will never be effective.

Catherine David, Director of Collaboration and Change at WRAP, said “COP27 made it clear that we are not on track to mitigate the worst impacts of the climate crisis. Accelerating action by businesses is paramount. The businesses signed up to our agreements are leading the way in transforming the food, textiles and plastic packaging sectors, demonstrating what is possible, and helping inform the government’s thinking on needed regulatory levers. Today’s reports show the mountain we need to climb, and we call on all businesses to join us on this journey and be part of changing our consumption systems in line with a sustainable future.”

David added: “However, eliminating unnecessary packaging is a good start. Right now, schemes like the ones I’ve mentioned are small fry when you consider that major companies, including Unilever, Walmart and Johnson & Johnson, according to shared data on their use of both recycled and reusable materials with EMF, less than 2% of their plastic packaging was reusable as of 2019”.

65% Unpackaged

For Lush, a UK-founded cosmetics company, reusable packaging is secondary to selling goods without any packaging at all, as Lush does with about 65% of its permanent products, in these cases, they sell solid products like bath bombs and shampoo bars unpackaged. Liquid products that require packaging, like creams and shower gels, are sold in pots made from postconsumer recycled plastic. If customers return five pots to the shop, they get a free face mask. A great incentive for customers to participate.

Lush said “It’s no secret, black plastic can cause problems for recycling facilities due to it being hard to detect by sorting machinery. So why do we use it? By choosing black recycled plastic we are able to use 100% post-consumer recycled feedstock very easily. This is because we do not have to be too choosy over the colours of the feedstock we use and can incorporate many different sources of recycled PP plastic into the Lush pot mix.

We’ve realised that the most responsible thing we can do is to get as much of our plastic packaging as possible into a loop we can control. By using a deposit-style scheme, whereby Lush customers purchase their products, knowing that they are ‘renting’ the packaging and can simply return it when they are finished, we keep the responsibility of resource recycling as our responsibility.”

For the love of glass

It’s easy to love glass. In a recent European study, 9 out of 10 consumers said they’d actively recommend glass packaging, and, as the wonderfully named Friends of Glass community states, glass ‘speaks to our ideas of the best heritage’, with brands, consumers and interior designers all agreeing that choosing and using glass makes people feel good.

No wonder! The beauty of glass is timeless and its reusability is undeniable, with a wide range of possibilities for the second life of glass packaging. Glass is the oldest form of man-made packaging, with evidence of the earliest forms of glassware found in Egypt dating back to 1500BC, so perhaps there’s an element of comfort in knowing that generations before having used the same material. In fact, it’s possible that we are literally using the same materials as our ancestors, with glass able to be recycled indefinitely with no degradation of quality.

Glass doesn’t stand still though, with innovation part of the evolution of glass packaging. European glass and plastic packaging manufacturer Pont brings new ideas to its wide portfolio, with sustainability manager Angela Thijssen explaining how its four pillars offer a framework for all its actions.

Thijssen says, “We take pride in raising the sustainability topic across all our departments, so that the packaging we create is in line with our four pillars; Reduction of materials, Recyclability of our products, use of Recycled Materials and use of Renewable Materials. Some of this is basic common sense; using Zoom instead of travelling to meetings, reducing printed marketing materials, and some is taking it a step further, like only transporting full loads and reusing the shipping cartons. It all adds up.”

Thijssen says, “We take pride in raising the sustainability topic across all our departments, so that the packaging we create is in line with our four pillars; Reduction of materials, Recyclability of our products, use of Recycled Materials and use of Renewable Materials. Some of this is basic common sense; using Zoom instead of travelling to meetings, reducing printed marketing materials, and some is taking it a step further, like only transporting full loads and reusing the shipping cartons. It all adds up.”

Pont Premium Sustainability

Pont glass jars, containers and carafes are popular with food and beverage applications, particularly for juices, craft beers, and condiments like artisan sauces and chutneys. Premium personal care brands also love glass for adding a touch of responsible luxury to the feel-good factor of self-care. All these choices have the benefit of offering a reusability opportunity, with the carafes for juices especially good as vases, or as a pretty way to bring water to the dinner table.

Thijssen explains, “We love to see how consumers reuse glass packaging; it’s a great way to show our customers that choosing glass packaging from Pont is a smart decision. Everybody wants to feel part of something that’s bigger than us, so to be able to be part of a growing tribe of people that values beautiful things without being ecologically irresponsible is wonderful.”

Reusing glass packaging can also mean that the barrier properties of the packaging are repeated too, as long as the right closure is used, if needed. Thijssen added, “Our glass packaging is available in both clear and UV amber glass, with the amber glass option protecting the product inside from light and oxygen even more, making it ideal for any chemicals, foods or personal care products that appreciate a little extra protection from the elements. UV glass is wonderful when it’s reused as that beautiful golden colour looks wonderful on the table, on the shelf, or on the dressing table.”

The holistic nature of glass means that it can be continually recycled or reused, so it never becomes a ‘waste product’, making it an easy choice for responsible consumers and for brands that want to connect with both their product heritage and their customers’ values”.