Reusable takeaway packaging

What a waste to use a coffee cup or a takeaway box only once for a few minutes before throwing it away. Where packaging is still needed, as with takeaway food and drinks, CIRCULANDIA replaces single-use items with reusable systems which keep containers in circulation for many cycles.

Why it matters

Reducing waste remains one of the EU’s most persistent challenges. Municipal solid waste in 2014 was 479kg/capita and in 2024 513kg/capita according to Eurostat. Cities around the world are therefore turning to reusable packaging as part of their sustainability and waste reduction strategies.

Regulation is moving fast. Under the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), consumers must be able to bring their own container for takeaway by 2027. By 2028, operators must also offer products in reusable packaging within a reuse system. The Single-Use Plastics Directive adds bans and reduction targets for cups and food containers.

Scaling reuse is still hard. It needs reliable collection, washing and redistribution, which is costly to build. Small businesses struggle with the upfront investment, consumers are used to the convenience of single-use, and many regions lack clear rules or incentives for reuse.

How CIRCULANDIA moves it forward

The project focuses on benchmarking the reuse systems, technologies and policies across Europe, and to build on earlier pilots such as the Reuse Vanguard Project. Building city-wide, interoperable systems with shared logistics, washing and digital tracking, so that reuse is systemic rather than scattered across individual cafés. Understanding consumers through a multi-country study and real-life experiments that test which incentives and counterincentives actually change behaviour. Engaging businesses in hotels, restaurants and cafés (HoReCa) with consultations, roundtables, a business playbook and practical recommendations to bring them onboard. And sharing know-how through a training programme, an online toolbox and a European community of practice for cities. The aim is to find the best ways for businesses to choose to offer reusable alternatives which the citizens will want to use in a system which operates efficiently and conveniently for everyone involved.

The demonstrations

Two cities show two stages of the journey:

  • Freiburg, Germany – scaling a pilot into a permanent system. Building on the Freiburg Cup, the city creates a full-scale, city-wide reuse ecosystem where the five reusable systems already in use work together. The rollout starts with cups and expands to bowls and pizza boxes, growing from a 30-business pilot to 200 businesses.
  • Manacor, Spain – setting up a system from the start. On the island of Mallorca, with strong seasonal tourism, Manacor begins with a viability study, waste audits and consumer perception studies. It then designs the system, tenders its operation and runs a two-year demonstration, creating a benchmark for smaller and touristic towns[KK1] , or any town taking its first steps.

The solutions are replicated in São João da Madeira, Portugal, Zagreb, Croatia, and the Picardy Wallonia and South Hainaut region, Belgium.

What we aim to achieve

  • 5 million single-use packaging units avoided during the demonstrations
  • A system-level potential for a steady 25–30 % reduction in packaging-related greenhouse gas emissions
  • 5 kg less packaging waste per person per year when the system is scaled up
  • 10 000 European consumers engaged in research and experiments
  • Up to €50 000 saved each year in Freiburg by avoiding waste collection trips
  • 10–15 multiplier cities and regions trained

Reusable takeaway packaging is one of CIRCULANDIA’s three interlinked value chains. Shorter local supply chains reduce the need for packaging, and reuse takes care of what remains.

Interested to hear more?

Mission Zero Academy (MiZA) Leads reusable packaging systems activities, demonstrations, training programmes and replication support.

Contacts: comms@missionzeroacademy.eu