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Sustainability of reusable packaging - Current situation and trends
Abstract and Figures
Packaging plays an important role in safely distributing products throughout today's society and supply chains. With a consumption of about 40% of plastics and 50% of paper in Europe, the packaging sector is a large user of materials. Packaging has a lot of environmental impacts, while it also represents a significant cost in the current supply system. Reusable packaging has been suggested as an option to significantly reduce environmental impacts. In this paper, we review the trends in reusable packaging and the literature on reusable packaging to generate insights into the current state-of-the-art knowledge and identify directions for research and development. This can help to better understand the key factors underlying the design and impacts of more sustainable packaging systems.
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... Switching to reusable items, such as beverage containers, utensils, plates, and bags, is another effective way to reduce waste and conserve resources (Coelho et al., 2020;Zhao et al., 2021). Reusable items reduce the usage of single-use disposable items, which usually end up in landfills or in marine or land environments. ...
The global environmental and ecological climate crisis necessitates urgent mitigation and adaptation measures, with Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) playing a crucial role in driving the transition toward a sustainable future. This paper examines the dual approach HEIs can adopt to foster sustainability: educating future generations and implementing green campus initiatives that can serve as models for the broader community. This review synthesizes existing research and case studies, identifies key areas for sustainability efforts within HEIs and analyzes the barriers and potential solutions for implementing sustainable practices on campuses. The broad range of areas include energy efficiency and renewable production, emissions mitigation, water and waste management, sustainable buildings and laboratories, and eco-friendly landscaping. The synthesis of findings revealed that HEIs can function as microcosms of sustainable urban environments, showcasing efficient resource management and infrastructure enhancement. Additionally, it highlighted the various actions HEIs should take to achieve campus sustainability. The major actions include establishing a dedicated Sustainability Office to coordinate efforts and set measurable goals; Implementing environmental initiatives (such as energy conservation and waste reduction); Engaging all campus stakeholders through education and participation in sustainability programs; Adopting standardized practices for resource management; Securing strong leadership support and funding; Fostering collaboration and innovation across disciplines and extending impact beyond campus to inspire environmental stewardship in the broader community. By implementing these actions HEIs can make significant strides toward campus sustainability, while significantly strengthening local and global mitigation efforts of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.
... They can also be designed to optimize space utilization, allowing for efficient packing, and reducing the need for additional packaging materials. Moreover, by reducing waste and the associated costs of disposal or recycling, reusable crates can offer potential cost savings in the long run (Coelho et al., 2020). Concerning this, economic considerations play a vital role in the adoption of reusable crates. ...
This study aims to determine stakeholder support for the usage of reusable crates, particularly for agricultural products such as vegetables and fruits, in Malaysia. The study utilized a combination of quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques, including surveys and interviews. A total of 597 complete questionnaires were collected, and twelve stakeholders, including government agencies, associations, transportation companies, and supermarkets, participated in focus group discussions. The results indicate that each stakeholder has a distinct role in the usage and management of reusable crates among users. Key stakeholders, including authorities, delivery service providers, and suppliers, effectively fulfil their roles and responsibilities in supporting the use and operation of reusable crates. The study emphasizes the importance of stakeholders such as DBKL, PKPS, and the wholesaler association in recognizing their role in supervising and monitoring the usage, arrangement, and storage of crates. This involvement ensures efficient crate management and promotes the sustainable use of reusable crates among wholesalers, retailers, and end users, thereby fostering sustainable practices in the agriculture sector.
... Packaging plays a pivotal role in product marketing, as it is often the first point of contact between consumers and the product (Alhamdi, 2019;Cochoy, 2020;Coelho et al., 2020;Wandosell et al., 2021). By teaching the group how to design effective labels, the project set the foundation for future marketing efforts that could expand the reach of Jujun's honey. ...
Honey is a valuable non-timber forest product widely consumed by communities, with those living near forests sourcing it both from the wild and cultivation. Jujun Village, supported by the Faculty of Agriculture at Jambi University, received assistance in honeybee farming through the Wira Desa program from the Department of Forestry in 2021. As a new venture, continued support was needed to strengthen its potential as an alternative economic source. This study aims to address the challenges of honey farming in Jujun through three main activities: (1) evaluating and strengthening beehive positioning based on natural forage availability to ensure consistent production; (2) improving group members’ skills in honey production and harvesting; and (3) enhancing packaging to facilitate market access. The program, conducted from March to August 2022, followed three phases: socialization, demonstration, and mentoring. Results showed significant improvements in participants' understanding of honey production, harvesting safety, product quality, and packaging. These advancements are expected to ensure the sustainability of honey farming, providing a stable livelihood for the community, especially honey farmers in Jujun Village
... Approximately 74.3% of the participants routinely bring their own reusable water bottles, indicating a significant dedication to minimising the use of disposable plastics. This behaviour is consistent with the results of a research that shows that university students throughout the world are increasingly incorporating the use of reusable bottles into their daily routines as a way to reduce plastic waste (Coelho et al., 2020;Wang et al., 2022). Furthermore, a significant proportion of respondents, namely 58.1%, consistently carry reusable bags while shopping, while 57.1% engage in full-load washing, demonstrating a deliberate effort to minimise resource usage. ...
The study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of sustainable consumption among university students in Penang, Malaysia. Sustainable consumption is one of the crucial goals in Sustainable Development Goals that foster environmentally friendly behaviour in the Malaysian community. mitigating negative impacts of consumption patterns. A quantitative data collection took place over five days by distribution of online questionnaires to a diverse sample of students, evaluating their knowledge of sustainable consumption principles, attitudes towards sustainable lifestyles, and actual consumption practices. The preliminary findings showed a high level of knowledge among university students regarding sustainable consumption principles. However, there were variations in attitudes towards sustainable lifestyles, with some showing moderate commitment while others exhibited a more indifferent approach. A gap between knowledge and practice was identified, indicating disconnection between students' comprehension regarding sustainable consumption and their implementation of sustainable behaviours. Influential factors, such as personal values, perceived barriers, social norms, and awareness of sustainable alternatives, shaped students' knowledge, attitude, and practice towards sustainable consumption. The role of educational institutions, peers, and media in promoting sustainable consumption was also found to be significant.
This chapter explores sustainable packaging solutions, highlighting the importance of reducing environmental impact through the adoption of renewable materials, energy-efficient processes, and cutting-edge technologies. It emphasizes the principles of reducing, reusing, and recycling, with a focus on biodegradable and compostable materials that mitigate the adverse effects of conventional packaging. The role of smart packaging in enhancing food safety and quality is also examined, presenting new opportunities in the industry. The stakeholders—manufacturers, retailers, policymakers, and consumers can collaborate to drive the adoption of eco-friendly packaging, overcome challenges, and ensure scalability and cost-effectiveness. Looking to the future, it envisions a path of continuous innovation, where advancements in biopolymers, intelligent systems, and digital technologies pave the way for packaging solutions that are both environmentally and economically sustainable.
Achieving the mainstream adoption of circular packaging is essential for mitigating the environmental impacts of plastic waste. Its widespread adoption, however, remains hindered by significant user barriers. This study investigates the barriers to user adoption of upstream packaging solutions in Indonesia with the aim of reducing plastic packaging waste. Through a mixed-methods approach including case studies, expert workshops, and focus group discussions, nine key barriers were identified and analysed. These include inconvenience, resistance to changing habits and behaviours, higher costs and deposit schemes, contamination and hygiene concerns, wear and tear, functional and performance limitations, a lack of awareness about the environmental impacts, limited availability and variety, and a lack of trust. This research advances the literature by offering a detailed analysis of these barriers, categorising them into sociocultural, economic, contextual, and regulatory aspects. Additionally, barriers specific to Indonesia were identified such as a shift from being served to self-service refilling, some people not having smartphones, poor cellular signals in rural areas, a preference for plastic packaging due to its resale value, and a preference for cash payments due to limited access to credit or bank cards. The findings highlight the need for tailored, multidisciplinary strategies to overcome these barriers and promote the adoption of circular packaging solutions. This research provides valuable insights for researchers studying circular design, businesses seeking to innovate upstream packaging solutions, and policymakers aiming to develop regulations that support the adoption of circular packaging practices.
Due to globalization, market competition, technological advancements, and the growing challenges of pollution and waste generation, manufacturing firms must focus on enhancing economic and environmental performance by incorporating sustainable and circular economy practices into their supply chain processes. As the demand for eco-friendly packaging alternatives is growing, enterprises are actively exploring sustainable and eco-friendly options to meet the needs of their consumers. However, research towards sustainable packaging requires a significant contribution since enterprises must deal with several critical success factors (CSFs). This paper aims to evaluate and analyze the potential CSFs that enhance the performance of the packaging supply chain system through a sustainability lens. After a rigorous literature review and consideration of expert judgments, 16 potential CSFs were chosen that could augment both the environmental and economic performance of packaging firms. We utilized the fuzzy DEMATEL technique to identify the most significant CSFs by analyzing their cause-and-effect nature and the interrelationships among them. The fuzzy set theory dealt with the uncertainties from personnel biases and limited data. The biasedness in experts’ inputs or inconsistent parts of the data have also been checked by Kendell’s Tau-b (τb) method. Furthermore, the maximum mean de-entropy algorithm was employed to determine the threshold value and construct the impact relationship maps after thoroughly assessing the information entropy of each CSF’s interaction. The findings of our study indicate that the ‘integrative and collaborative system’, ‘commitment of regulatory bodies’ and ‘enhancement of operational systems’ are the most influential causal factors which can enhance the performance of the packaging firms towards sustainability. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis was conducted to ascertain the proposed model's effectiveness, robustness and flexibility. The research findings suggest valuable insights for policymakers, executioners, and industrial practitioners to enhance the performance of their businesses by effectively executing the significant CSFs.
The European packaging market is forecast to grow 1.9% annually in the next years, with an increasing use of returnable packages. In this context, it is important to assess the real environmental effectiveness of the packaging re-use practice in terms of environmental impacts. This life cycle assessment aims to evaluate the environmental performances of reusable plastic crates (RPCs), which are used for the distribution of 36% of fruit and vegetables in Italy. RPCs can be re-used several times after a reconditioning process, i.e., inspection, washing, and sanitization with hot water and chemicals. The analysis was performed considering 12 impact categories, as well as the cumulative energy demand indicator and a tailor-made water consumption indicator. The results show that when the RPCs are used for less than 20 deliveries, the impacts of the life cycle are dominated by the manufacturing stage. By increasing the number of deliveries, the contribution of the reconditioning process increases, reaching 30–70% of the overall impacts for 125 uses. A minimum of three deliveries of the RPCs is required in order to perform better than an alternative system where crates of the same capacity (but 60% lighter) are single-use. The same modeling approach can be used to evaluate the environmental sustainability of other types of returnable packages, in order to have a complete overview for the Italian context and other European countries.
The circular economy concept has gained momentum both among scholars and practitioners. However, critics claim that it means many different things to different people. This paper provides further evidence for these critics. The aim of this paper is to create transparency regarding the current understandings of the circular economy concept. For this purpose, we have gathered 114 circular economy definitions which were coded on 17 dimensions. Our findings indicate that the circular economy is most frequently depicted as a combination of reduce, reuse and recycle activities, whereas it is oftentimes not highlighted that CE necessitates a systemic shift. We further find that the definitions show few explicit linkages of the circular economy concept to sustainable development. The main aim of the circular economy is considered to be economic prosperity, followed by environmental quality; its impact on social equity and future generations is barely mentioned. Furthermore, neither business models nor consumers are frequently outlined as enablers of the circular economy. We critically discuss the various circular economy conceptualizations throughout this paper. Overall, we hope to contribute via this study towards the coherence of the circular economy concept; we presume that significantly varying circular economy definitions may eventually result in the collapse of the concept.
Over the last decade, the concept of the circular economy has regained attention, especially related to efforts to achieve a more sustainable society. The ‘revival’ of the circular economy has been accompanied by controversies and confusions across different actors in science and practice. With this article we attempt at contributing to advanced clarity in the field and providing a heuristic that is useful in practice. Initially, we take a focus on the historical development of the concept of circular economy and value retention options (ROs) for products and materials aiming for increased circularity. We propose to distinguish three phases in the evolution of the circular economy and argue that the concept – in its dominant framing – is not as new as frequently claimed. Having established this background knowledge, we give insights into ‘how far we are’ globally, with respect to the implementation of circularity, arguing that high levels of circularity have already been reached in different parts of the globe with regard to longer loop value retention options, such as energy recovery and recycling. Subsequently, we show that the confusion surrounding the circular economy is more far-reaching the divergent scholarly perspectives on retention options and unite the most common views a 10Rtypology. e conclude that policymakers and businesses should focus their efforts on realization of the more desirable, shorter loop retention options, like remanufacturing, refurbishing and repurposing – yet with a view on feasibility and overall system effects. Scholars, on the other hand, should assist the parties contributing to an increased circular economy in practice by taking up a more active role in attaining consensus in conceptualizing the circular economy.
http://www.pbl.nl/sites/default/files/cms/publicaties/pbl-2016-circular-economy-measuring-innovation-in-product-chains-2544.pdf
Plastics have outgrown most man-made materials and have long been under environmental scrutiny. However, robust global information, particularly about their end-of-life fate, is lacking. By identifying and synthesizing dispersed data on production, use, and end-of-life management of polymer resins, synthetic fibers, and additives, we present the first global analysis of all mass-produced plastics ever manufactured. We estimate that 8300 million metric tons (Mt) as of virgin plastics have been produced to date. As of 2015, approximately 6300 Mt of plastic waste had been generated, around 9% of which had been recycled, 12% was incinerated, and 79% was accumulated in landfills or the natural environment. If current production and waste management trends continue, roughly 12,000 Mt of plastic waste will be in landfills or in the natural environment by 2050.
In a circular economy, an enterprise should pursue long-term business and economic opportunities for environmental and societal benefits. One of the critical issues in industries with a circular economy is the development of the reverse logistics system for semi-finished product packaging and shipping. There are several challenges while designing this system; for example, the use of reusable semi-finished product shipping boxes and a logistics system for shipping the products and returning these boxes. In this research, under the context of global manufacturing, a logistics system for reusable semi-finished product packaging in LCD panel industry is studied. The cost models of semi-finished product packaging in a traditional logistics mode and a green logistics mode are introduced. In the green logistics mode, the shipping boxes are redesigned to be reusable and capable of accommodating multiple various-sized panels simultaneously. The cost models involve material cost, shipping, and recycling cost. The economic performances of the traditional and green logistics modes at different package recycling levels are analyzed. The results show that the total cost of the green logistics mode is beneficial, always lower than that of the traditional logistics mode, even at a low recycling rate (30%). In addition, in the green mode, the material cost of shipping boxes is the most influential sector of the total cost.
The reuse of refillable PET packaging by the soft drink industry requires high attention, since these packages may return to the industry with some contamination. Given this background, the aim of this study was to develop a HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) plan for a soft drink production line of returnable PET packaging, through strategies such as analysis of consumer complaints profile for this drink and the employment of quality tools. The results showed that the most significant complaint observed was a change of flavor, which is commonly associated with a failure in the sniffer. However, the implementation and monitoring of the proposed plan led to the reduction of altered flavor complaint percentages, from 52% (October 2013) to 14% (July 2015). From January 2015 to July 2015, altered flavor complaints dropped from 16 to 5, corresponding to a decrease of more than 50% in 7 months. Furthermore, a reduction of the sniffer reject index was also observed, from 3% to 1%, demonstrating that the HACCP plan implemented was an effective tool to identify, evaluate, and control chemical and physic hazards in the reuse of refillable PET packaging by the soft drink industry.
The objective of this research is to identify critical success factors (CSFs) of the reusable plastic packaging (RPP) system and to establish their interrelationship in the context of manufacturing industries. Fourteen CSFs were shortlisted by reviewing the literature and considering expert team inputs. To explore the mutual influence between the identified CSFs the Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) approach was applied. To strengthen link interpretation, ISM methodology was supported by the Total Interpretive Structural Modeling (TISM) approach. Further, to identify the factors with high driving power the Matrice d'Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliqués à un Classement (MICMAC) analysis was employed. It was concluded that three CSFs namely, ‘top management commitment’ ‘lean support,’ and ‘optimized inventory management’ were the critical ones with high influential power. This study aims to help the decision-makers in developing effective strategies for the implementation of the RPP system in the case sector for achieving sustainability.
It is the overarching aim of the circular economy to maintain the value of products, materials, and resources for as long as possible, and the re-use of packaging can play an important role in achieving this. Nevertheless, reliable information about reusable packaging in Europe is lacking. To address such a gap, this paper proposes a methodology to collect data on packaging re-use, aimed at carrying out some preliminary assessment. This methodology can be applied in different geographical contexts (i.e., in different countries) and allows the creation of an inventory of comparable data for legislative compliance and statistical purposes. The suggested methodology has been applied to the Italian context, as a case study, resulting in a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the practice of packaging re-use in Italy. The emerged criticalities and limitations are finally discussed, and recommendations are given to get reliable and representative data.