CHALLENGE
Single use plastics end up in landfill, are incinerated or simply dumped into our oceans. Lots of non-renewable resources are lost, CO2 is changing our climate and oceans are polluted. What a waste! Single use plastics in many formats are due to be outlawed from 2021 – we need a better solution and fast.
What if we could simply take back some of the plastic packaging we as consumers use? What if it could then be reused – extending the life cycle of the packaging and helping to reduce our negative eco footprint?
The majority of takeaway meals are packed, transported and served in single use plastic containers, most of which is then either burnt or dumped in our oceans. On top of this, takeaway packaging is ghastly – it’s cheap, flimsy and however appealing the meal inside, the packaging completely detracts from the consumer experience.
SOLUTION
‘Take Back’ packaging innovation offers a simple and smart solution. Our life-cycle-assessment, which includes return logistics and cleaning, demonstrates significant reduction of the footprint through use and reuse. It positively enhances the consumer experience and top of that it is also a more cost effective solution than single use packaging. Cost is not driven by the price for packaging but by the number of times you use it.
The concept innovation envisages a returnable system whereby the container provider hosts a platform for use by members – namely, local restaurants and cafes. Members deliver meals in ‘Take Back’ containers, consumers then keep hold of them and return them during their next delivery. The infrastructure for tracking the location of the containers for retrieval is already in place via platforms such as Deliveroo and Just Eat and one can easily imagine a small deposit system paid for by consumers to help validate the investment in the reusable packaging.
The packaging design is easy to clean for reusability and stackable for ease of storage. The double walled construction helps ensure the temperature of the meals is maintained through delivery. It prevents meals to be re-heated and thus save energy. The structural design of this particular example is reminiscent of a pagoda for specific use by Asian cuisine proprietors and purposely unbranded for flexibility of use by different restaurants. The design also serves as a desirable container beautiful enough to be proudly placed on the dinner table.
