Welcome to the Solutions Database,
a guide to technologies, strategies, and best practices for reducing plastic waste

Users subscribe to a delivery and collection service that allows them to return empty packaging from home. A business or service provider then takes care of the cleaning and redistribution of the packaging (3).

Key benefits:

• Improved packaging design for functionality and/or aesthetics is possible since the packaging remains an asset to the business and its costs are divided over many uses, allowing companies to provide a better user experience (3)..
• User convenience can be enhanced by businesses keeping track of stock and reordering using a subscription service (2).

Key watch-outs:

• Economics and efficiency of operations, in particular reverse logistics, can be improved by businesses sharing logistics, cleaning fa-cilities, or universal packaging design across brands, sectors, or wider networks, potentially through a third-party service provider (3). Carefully designing pick-up and delivery routes, and leveraging existing operations, maximizes efficiencies and minimizes environmental impact (1). To maintain affordable prices for customers, scaling up quickly is key (2).
• Return of empty packaging can be eased by offering subscription services where the empty packaging is collected at the same time as the next delivery of goods, which also improves brand loyalty and helps delivers user in-sights. Plain packaging designed to be decanted immediately, incentives such as deposits on packaging or a free refill after a certain number of returns, or penalties for not returning, can all improve return rates (3).
• Packaging should be designed to be easily cleanable to reduce costs and resource use during cleaning (3).

• E-commerce products that are delivered at relatively high frequency, ideally through a subscription model, are increasingly popular with customers and allow the collection of empty packaging to be com-bined with the delivery of new products. This avoids users needing to store empty packaging for long periods of time (3). Typical e-commerce products suited for return from home models include groceries , meal delivery, personal care, home care, and beauty products (2). E-commerce allows reusable products to stand out and facilitates customer education and engagement (4).
• Urban areas where transport distances, both between deliveries and from delivery to cleaning/refilling sites, tend to be shorter are well suited for return from home reuse models.

Initial guidance on applicability of this solution per plastic type:

• ZerO Box from Huidu - Reusable e-commerce boxes: Reusable boxes for e-commerce deliveries rented out on a monthly, yearly or onetime basis. The box is made from a light-weight plastic material, sealed without tape, and is fitted with an RFID tag to track its location. The box is either opened and directly returned when the product is delivered, returned at the time of a subsequent delivery, or returned to drop-off stations. Depending on the rental model, Huidu or the company renting the box take care of the washing. Using ZerO Box can save 30% on a cost-per-use basis compared to traditional shipping boxes. A box can be reused up to 14 times and it is estimated that over 18 million single-use boxes have been eliminated since 2018.
• Dabbawala in India: Century-old lunch delivery service to offices in reusable tiffin boxes.