Sustainability of reusable packaging–Current situation and trends

• Main Authors: Patricia Megale Coelho, Blanca Corona, Roland ten Klooster, Ernst Worrell
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2020-05-01
• Series: Resources, Conservation & Recycling: X
• Subjects: Packaging; Reuse; Refill; Circular economy; Environmental impact; Economics
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590289X20300086

Packaging plays an important role in safely distributing products throughout today's society and supply chains. With a consumption of about 40% of plastics and 50% of paper in Europe, the packaging sector is a large user of materials. Packaging has a lot of environmental impacts, while it also represents a significant cost in the current supply system. Reusable packaging has been suggested as an option to significantly reduce environmental impacts. In this paper, we review the trends in reusable packaging and the literature on reusable packaging to generate insights into the current state-of-the-art knowledge and identify directions for research and development. This can help to better understand the key factors underlying the design and impacts of more sustainable packaging systems.