Reuse and refill systems replace single-use packaging with containers that are returned, washed and refilled, or refilled by the customer at a dispenser. The container material matters less than the return rate and number of cycles.
Examples: Loop (TerraCycle) closed its standalone e-commerce and now runs in-store in 250-plus Carrefour, Monoprix and Systeme U stores in France, with growth in Japan; Algramo (Chile) uses radio-frequency identification (RFID) smart containers and dispensers across 2,000 corner stores reaching about 325,000 customers, saving low-income families around 30 percent on essentials, with pilots in Colombia, the UK and New York; CLUBZERO won a US Plastics Pact award in 2025.
Economics: Zero Waste Europe and Searious Business (2023) found reusable takeaway containers reach return on investment in years three to four, secondary transport packaging in years two to three and beverage containers in years five to six, with everything hinging on return rate, cycles and retention time. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Unlocking a reuse revolution (2023, with SYSTEMIQ and 60-plus organisations) found returnable packaging at scale cuts greenhouse gas (GHG) and water 35 to 70 percent against single-use and can be cost-competitive if infrastructure is shared. The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) mandates reuse targets from 2030.
Drawbacks: the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's 2024 Global Commitment progress report says reuse remains niche among the businesses that signed up; systems need deposits, washing logistics and return rates above 90 percent to beat single-use; Loop's direct-to-consumer model failed. Regulatory tailwinds (the PPWR, deposit return schemes, and extended producer responsibility (EPR) fees that vary by packaging design) improve the case each year.