https://zerowasteeurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2023-SB-ZWE-The-economics-of-reuse-systems.pdf

The urgency to act on plastic pollution is now widely understood, as is the fact that we cannot continue along the linear path of resource exploitation. 

Adopting circular economy principles could not only benefit Europe environmentally and socially but could also generate a net economic benefit of €1.8 trillion by 2030. 1 Recycling alone will never be able to mitigate uncurbed plastic production, which is on track to triple by 2050. Solutions must be focused upstream to the source of the problem, production. 

After elimination, the widespread uptake of reusable packaging has the highest potential to reduce plastic production. This view is sustained by a recent shift in legislative focus in the European Union's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and the United Nation's Global Plastic Treaty to end plastic pollution. The popularity of reusable packaging is also growing within businesses under pressure both from upcoming regulations and a customer base increasingly concerned with the over-use of plastic. 

However, several brands and industry associations have been hesitant to wholeheartedly embrace reusable packaging, citing doubts over environmental credibility, customer acceptance, needed behavioural change, and the fear of heavy investments and operational costs. While several independent LCAs prove the environmental benefits of multi-use over single-use plastic packaging, and as many surveys indicate customer readiness, there is a gap in analysing the costs vs benefits of a scaled and optimised reuse system.