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Reusable Packaging – Better or Worse for the Environment?

Is reusable packaging better for the environment than sustainable, single use packaging?

We look at the conclusions of four articles on this topic.

The first article is a collaborative work from the following authors, Felix Gruenewald, Jon Haag, Franziska Brehl, Oskar Lingqvist, and Daniel Nordigårdenfrom of McKinsey Materials Practice. It looks at the potential impact on the environment of reusable packaging. Using two case studies—e-commerce in Germany and takeaway food in Belgium—it finds that while reusable packaging can lower waste, it often increases costs and CO2 emissions unless used many times (20–200+ cycles). Key barriers include lack of infrastructure, high transport emissions, and the need for major behavioural and operational changes. Overall, reusability can be effective, but only if systems are carefully designed and efficiently executed.

In a Time article, written by Jamie Ducharme, the author first discusses the fact that most plastic waste isn’t recycled due to system inefficiencies and contamination. Experts argue recycling alone can’t solve the problem and promote a circular economy with reusable packaging instead. Companies like Loop and Unilever are testing refillable containers, but success depends on consumer participation and convenience. However there are challenges with reuse which include:

  • Environmental payback only happens after several reuses.
  • High costs and inconvenience limit adoption.
  • Consumers may not consistently reuse items as intended, undermining environmental benefits.
  • Programs success depends on consumer participation. Incentives like deposit refunds help boost return rates.
  • For reuse systems to scale, they must be easy and appealing to consumers—ideally integrated into regular shopping habits.

While reuse helps reduce waste, its environmental benefits vary and packaging is only a small part of a product’s total impact.

While packaging waste is visible, it’s often only 10% of a product’s total environmental footprint. The production and delivery of the actual goods remain far more resource-intensive.

Bottom Line: Reusable packaging has potential, especially if systems are made convenient and cost-effective. However, it’s not a silver bullet—it’s a small step toward sustainability in a much larger system that also needs reform.

Consumer attitudes to Reusable Food Packaging

A Food Packaging Forum article by Helene Wiesinger looked at four studies on the consumer attitudes to re-usable food packaging. The studies were carried out in Finland, Switzerland, Belgium and China. The overall conclusion was that reusable packaging holds promise but faces hurdles including consumer convenience, economic feasibility, and hygiene concerns. Tailored solutions and stakeholder-specific insights are key to making reuse systems successful across different contexts.

Durability of Reusable Packaging

In a post on LinkedIn, Adrienna Zsakay, CEO of Circular Economy Asia examines the topic of how durable reusable packaging needs to be in order for it to be more sustainable than a sustainable single-use equivalent. As reusable packaging becomes more popular, there’s growing concern that poorly designed reuse systems may do more environmental harm than good—especially if return rates are too low to justify the extra materials and durability.

As in the other articles, it is stated that this is a complex issue to resolve. However, she concludes that Reusable packaging is at a turning point and to truly support a circular economy, reusable packaging design must be based on realistic, real world data about actual reuse, as opposed to aspirations/goals for reuse. Therefore, she recommends for designer of re-usable packaging should:

  • Design for current behaviours and systems, not future aspirations.
  • Match durability to real-world return rates.
  • Prioritize end-of-life recyclability to prevent reusable containers from becoming waste.
  • Testing and data—not assumptions—should drive design.

This practical, systems-based approach is essential to avoid unintended consequences and ensure reuse delivers on its environmental promises.

Dollard Packaging – Reducing the Carbon Footprint of your Packaging

At Dollard Packaging, we can help you make your packaging more sustainable. We can do this in a number of ways, including

Contact us today at sales@dollard-packaging or telephone 01 847 00 44

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