Now that the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) has been adopted in the European Parliament, reusable packaging is likely to get a boost. The legislation mandates that final distributors of beverages and take-away food offer 10% of products in a reusable packaging format by 2030, for example.
The most recent instance is a new pilot project by Finnish restaurant and catering company Restel introducing reusable cups in selected Burger King and Rax restaurants, which the company operates in Finland.
The reusable cups are manufactured by Finland-based material company Sulapac which specialises in bio-based alternatives to virgin plastic. The cups are made from Sulapac Solid, a 100% bio-based and biodegradable raw material. It is BPI certified as industrially compostable and can be both mechanically and chemically recycled. The material has a carbon footprint of 0,57 kg CO2Eq/kg, including biogenic carbon, which can be lowered by incorporating recycled biopolymers.
The material is commercially available to all manufacturers and is a drop-in solution that can be processed on existing injection moulding production lines. It also leaves no persistent microplastics behind during its life cycle, according to Sulapac.
The Sulapac ‘eco cups’ will be used in the selected pilot restaurants for two months. Customers are instructed to return the cups after use to an appointed collection tray.
Each cup can be washed around 200 times before reaching its end of life, at which point Sulapac chemically recycles them into new drinking cups.
“Our Solid material can be efficiently recycled, while it’s also suitable for industrial composting,” said Heidi Peltola, Head of Product at Sulapac. “The compostability certificate is a way to validate the environmental friendliness of the material, as it includes tests for potential ecotoxic effects and heavy metals, for example,” she added.
Associations like the Ellen MacArthur Foundation have called for a ‘reuse revolution’ to tackle single-use plastic pollution. Price continues to inhibit the widespread adoption of reuse materials, but the foundation estimates that reuse packaging can be cost competitive with single use in a scenario where return system infrastructure is scaled, shared, and standardised.
On the other hand, a recent survey from PA Consulting has found that, despite their good intentions, most people don’t choose reusable packaging to reduce waste. Educating consumers, designing systems that make it easier to store, clean, and return packaging, and innovation will be key in closing this gap.