lower cost per use for returnable drink and personal-care bottles than single-use, in a large shared system

Ellen MacArthur Foundation modelling (2023) of returnable packaging at national scale: drink bottles 6% cheaper per use, personal-care bottles 10% cheaper.

Impact: Business case, Economy

Region: European Union

Value: 6–10%
Unit: %
Data year: 2023
Trend: Not applicable
Source name: Ellen MacArthur Foundation (a charity; this study was advised by an industry group including Coca-Cola, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever), Unlocking a reuse revolution, 2023
Source link: content.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/m/791a4013fead211e/original/Unlocking-a-reuse-revolution-Scaling-Returnable-Packaging.pdf
Confidence: Evidence: Medium
Caveat / scope: Modelled with French data; only for shared, large-scale systems with high return rates.
Verified on: 23 September 2026

Sources last verified 23 September 2026. Page updated 24 September 2026. How we check sources

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