Borro expands QR-based reusable cup deposits across Europe

Borro, a start-up offering a digital deposit system for reusable cups, is expanding into Germany, France, and the Netherlands following a €1.3 million (US$1.43 million) investment to scale its technology. 

Mostly used at large-scale venues like stadiums, Borro’s system links reusable cups to a consumer bank card. When returning the cup at a collection point, consumers automatically receive their deposit back. 

Packaging Insights sits down with Glenn Verhaege, one of the company’s founders, to discuss scaling reusable systems, detailing consumer adoption, logistics, and the importance of open industry standards if reuse is to go beyond closed systems. 

Reusable systems at large stadiums are on the rise as concern over single-use packaging waste grows. Borro’s system is used by Belgian football clubs Club Brugge and KV Mechelen, and it recently joined PSG Labs, the innovation program of French football club Paris Saint-Germain.

Simple tech to scale 

Unlike many deposit returns schemes (DRS), Borro doesn’t use RFID as the principal technology, a conscious decision to make reuse “simpler and more affordable.” 

“When we started Borro, ‘smart reuse’ and 'RFID' were almost synonymous. But we kept seeing the same pattern: beautiful demos, expensive technology, and difficult rollouts,” says Verhaege. 

He also notes there are structural issues with using RFID, as it requires a metal chip to be added to the cup, complicating the recycling process, “which is exactly the opposite of where we want to go.” Cost per unit is also higher, argues Verhaege, especially in high-volume environments like stadiums and festivals. 

Instead, Borro operates on QR codes, which feature embedded payment infrastructure and short integration cycles. 

“RFID systems typically require three to six months of implementation preparation per venue — we are able to deploy a stadium in a week,” Verhaege continues.

“The deliberate choice to stay simple on the technology side is what makes us genuinely scalable.” 

Changing consumer behaviour 

As Borro expands its system across Europe, Verhaege notes the company is learning as it goes, with the biggest learning curve coming from “the business of behavior change.” Reuse systems are increasing, but are often hindered by scalability, cost measures, and consumer adoption.

“The question we obsess over is: how do you get someone to do something different, at a specific moment, in a high-pressure environment?” continues Verhaege. 

The answer, he explains, is in Fogg’s behavior model, an early 2000s behavioral psychology theory that states change is the “intersection of motivation, ability, and a prompt.”

“That framing shapes every design decision we make. Deposits are the best motivation mechanism we’ve found: if I return my cup and see €2 (US$2.20) land in my bank app instantly, that loop is incredibly powerful.” 

However, Verhaege notes that this only works if the reuse system is efficient and easy to use. 

“The moment the deposit system has bugs, or the refund is slow, or does not work at all, trust collapses. So we went deep on owning the full payment flow: not as a tech choice, but as a trust choice.” 

Collection points 

Other lessons Borro is learning as it grows are in logistics. The technology lends itself to minimal waiting time and easy use, says Verhaege, but there needs to be return points everywhere. 

“With our patented 2D code technology, we can scan out a whole stack of cups all at once, so people don’t need to return one by one. We process tens of thousands of cups per match, and at the 90th minute, when 30,000 fans want to return at once, the system just handles it.” 

He argues that a seamless system doesn’t happen by accident, but comes when a reuse system takes “friction removal” as a serious design principle, and “not an afterthought.” 

Maintaining reuse systems 

The investment round was supported by Seeder Fund, imec.istart, PMV, bluesnipe, and GS1 — the organization behind barcode standards. 

Verhaege attests: “The cup is just the object. What we’ve actually built is the financial and data infrastructure that makes reuse trackable, refundable, and auditable at scale. That’s why a partnership like GS1 matters to us.” 

According to Verhaege, GS1 understands how products identify work across whole ecosystems, not just within one venue. 

“If we want a cup that’s used in a stadium to be returned at a vending machine in a supermarket, you need common identifiers and common data standards. That’s not something one company can solve alone.”

Verhaege is convinced that for reuse to scale beyond close environments like stadiums into retail, fast food, and at a city level, open stands are essential. 

“Proprietary systems can work within a closed environment, but they create a lock-in problem. We want to build toward interoperability from the start.”

The industry is also moving beyond closed systems for reusable cups, highlighting convenience as a core principle of high-performing DRS for drink container recycling.

Beyond stadiums

Borro’s bigger ambition is to embed its digital deposit infrastructure into everyday life. Recent pilot products have included public consultations about personal care packaging reuse in Brazil. In the UK, the Packaging Pact continues to push for scalable refill and reuse.

Meanwhile, in the last year, Duni Group launched reusable packaging systems in Sweden and Germany. 

“The same cup from the stadium should be returnable at a vending machine, a café, or a supermarket. To do that, you need ecosystem partners, not just venues. That's the transition we’re building toward,” he adds. 

While he knows that Borro needs to continue to do what it does best in high-peak environments, the goal is to get reusable systems mainstream. 

“The behavior change starts at the stadium. But the habit needs to travel home with the fan.”