More Brands Will Employ Reusable Packaging
A growing number of companies are rethinking product design to avoid disposable packaging. Startups like Blueland and Everdrop now sell cleaning products in the form of tablets that can be dropped in reusable bottles. Bite sells tiny toothpaste tabs so it can avoid the standard plastic tubes. Nestle is beginning to test refill stations in stores for coffee and pet food; a startup called Algramo is rolling out refill stations for detergent and cleaning supplies in laundromats. McDonald’s is testing reusable coffee cups that can be dropped in a bin for cleaning; Burger King is testing a reusable Whopper container.Others are pioneering new reusable containers for takeout and grocery delivery. Loop, the system that delivers mainstream products like Häagen-Dazs ice cream in reusable, returnable packaging, is continuing to grow. Dove just launched a stainless steel, refillable holder for deodorant.“It’s a beautifully designed product,” Joe Iles says of the new Dove container; he’s the circular design program lead at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a U.K. based organization that focuses on the circular economy. “The aim is that you keep it and almost cherish it. I think we’re going to start seeing more offerings like that, that are desirable. They break away from the idea that this is just for the enlightened few.”
The Plastic Packaging that’s Left Will Shrink and Become Easier to Recycle
In some cases, companies are fully eliminating extra packaging—Walmart, for example, has stopped wrapping some individual produce in plastic film in Canadian stores. But others are finding more innovative solutions. Carlsberg replaced some plastic six-pack rings with a new type of glue. Apeel makes a safe, edible coating that can protect fruit from spoiling without plastic wrap.