On September 5, 2023, Zero Waste Europe in collaboration with Reloop and TOMRA published a report assessing the climate impact of reusable systems versus take-away packaging. The report was produced by consulting firm Eunomia.
The authors developed models for single-use and reuse systems to quantify the climate impact for various take-away food packaging items (burger boxes, pizza boxes, bowls, sushi boxes, cups for cold drinks, and cups for warm drinks). These models include the whole life cycle of a product from the extraction of raw materials to end-of-life and waste management and estimate greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) for each stage of an item’s life. The emissions are estimated as GHG emissions (gCO2) per serving.
The report finds switching to reusable containers from single use (plastic and paper) in an efficient manner leads to an overall reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The extent of this varies for different articles: cups show the highest potential for reductions, while for pizza boxes the single-use option results in less change in emissions. Since pizza boxes are by far the heaviest and bulkiest items, they are the most challenging option for reuse implementation. A decrease in weight of 20% might already make the reuse option more efficient than single use, the report states.
These simulations are based on assumptions, such as return rates, home washing, or transportation (FPF reported). “The lack of good data in these areas does create some uncertainty. To address this, the study tested the sensitivity of some key assumptions used in the modeling to identify break-even points – the point at which the assumption changes the outcome.”
The key assumptions explored were changes to the energy grid, the number of car journeys, the throughput of washing processes, and return rates for reusable containers. The number of rotations to reach breakeven varies highly for the different packaging options. While six rotations are enough for cups, sushi boxes would need up to 35 rotations. The same goes for breakeven return rates. Cups could do with return rates of 83%, while all other items require above 90%.
The authors emphasize the importance of well-refined reuse systems. “Some of the key assumptions are driven by aspects of behavior that require a mindset change, one that must be ingrained into societal norms,” the authors conclude. Additionally, they highlight that the next step should be how to implement such systems. And for this, real-world trials and case studies are needed.
The Food Packaging Forum together with other non-profits and international food providers including Sodexo, Compass Group, and Aramark are developing a tool for food providers to easily compare a variety of food packaging materials on multiple metrics including reusability. The Understanding Packaging Scorecard (UP Scorecard) is currently still under development but v0.3 is available to try. The methodology is also online and regularly updated to make the UP Scorecard as transparent as possible.
Reference
Zero Waste Europe (September 5, 2023). “Assessing climate impact: Reusable systems vs. single-use takeaway packaging.”
