A “crucial moment”: Closed Loop Partners and US Plastics Pact publish consumer reuse report

11 Jan 2024 --- Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy (the Center), in collaboration with the US Plastics Pact, has published a “first-of-its-kind” report titled Unpacking Customer Perspectives on Reusable Packaging, which shares new insights on US consumers’ behavior toward reuse systems. 

The report seeks to understand consumer attitudes, preferences, and behaviors around reusable and refillable packaging solutions to help companies, policymakers, and key industry stakeholders navigate and improve the current reuse landscape. 

The findings show a number of key barriers to wider adoption of reuse systems, including a lack of general understanding, “overwhelming” technology, a lack of infrastructure, failure to return items, and, consequently, poor habit formation. 

“We’ve reached a crucial moment to make reusable packaging a normal part of everyday life. The research in this report charts a course toward transforming reuse by starting from the customer’s point of view — understanding and overcoming the obstacles people face that stop them from developing a habit of reusing,” says Kate Daly, managing director of Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy.

The report’s authors state that widespread adoption of reuse options is essential to address the global plastics crisis effectively. 

Research design 
Launched in 2018, the Center for the Circular Economy has been testing reusable packaging solutions in retail stores and restaurants. The Center’s Reuse Insights Lab conducts qualitative and quantitative R&D analytics through in-market testing, focus groups and customer interviews to identify how to design and build effective reuse infrastructure. 

In 2023, the Center’s Reuse Insights Lab collaborated with the US Plastics Pact, engaging the customer bases of 16 innovators participating in the US Plastics Pact’s Reuse Catalyst Program. Based on surveys, interviews and an analysis of hundreds of consumers using reusable packaging across the US, our methodology focused on early adopter behavior. 

Rather than asking customers what they would do, the researchers asked them what they already do. This allowed them to avoid the “intention-action gap” that can occur when relying solely on sentiment instead of in-market behavior. 

Many consumers struggle to use modern reuse technologu, found the report.Key findings 
The report gives five key insights drawn from consumer experiences: 

• Ongoing education and clear communication are vital to familiarize consumers with reuse logistics and enable adoption on a larger scale.
• Technology can simplify reuse tracking — particularly on the backend — but too many tech hurdles on the front end can “overwhelm” customers.
• Thoughtful design choices that balance utility, environmental sustainability and appeal are key for reuse systems to achieve the intended impact.
• Choice and availability of reuse options help consumers feel empowered to participate.
• Reuse solutions should meet consumers where they are rather than demanding perfection, which is most likely to support long-term habit formation.

Emily Tipaldo, executive director of the US Plastics Pact, underscores that: “If businesses and organizations can collaborate to deliver reusable options that truly fit into consumers’ lifestyles, reuse can shift from occasional to habitual.”

As the Center works to build bridges for reuse systems, Closed Loop Partners says it recognizes that achieving over 90% return rates for reusable packaging is key to successful adoption. “Without high returns, reuse models will struggle to achieve their intended environmental impact.”

“However, with customers at various stages in their reuse journey, building reuse habits takes time. Reuse systems are an essential part of moving away from a linear “take-make-waste” economy toward a system focused on resource circulation,” says the company.

“To scale reuse sustainably and mitigate unintended consequences of low return rates, solutions must seamlessly integrate into consumer lifestyles.”

The reports’ insights aim to help both public and private institutions make reuse an accessible, everyday reality. 

In the coming year, Closed Loop Partners will release additional insights as part of an ongoing initiative to accelerate the transition to scalable and durable reusable packaging systems across the US. 

“By translating the report’s insights into practical solutions focused on optimizing convenience and value for consumers, businesses, advocates, and municipalities can propel a culture shift in which reusable packaging models can become the everyday norm,” concludes the company. 

By Louis Gore-Langton