Reusable packaging is critical to tackling plastic pollution, while reducing other environmental impacts, such as greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption.
Previous Ellen MacArthur Foundation reports, such as Unlocking a reuse revolution, Upstream innovation, and Reuse – rethinking packaging, provided clear rationale for the adoption of reusable packaging business models as part of a circular economycircular economyA systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution. It is based on three principles, driven by design: eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials (at their highest value), and regenerate nature..
This report, written in partnership with WWF, focuses on reusereuseThe repeated use of a product or component for its intended purpose without significant modification. in the Global South. Filled with case studies from innovative companies, it demonstrates the myriad economic and social benefits of reuse systems, as well as the positive environmental impact.
The Global South's established reuse systems offer proven foundations for circular solutions. By building on this practical expertise rather than adopting single-use models, we can accelerate the transition to a circular economy and avoid increased waste and pollution.
Scaling reuse systems demands coordinated action across the value chain. This report shows how businesses, policymakers, and the informal sector, can collaborate to create the enabling conditions for reuse to thrive at scale.
