Over 30 months, the Reusify project aims to utilise its €2m budget, primarily funded by Business Finland, to develop reusable packaging systems that help reduce the use of fossil-fuel-based materials for packaging and packaging waste.
Reusify accelerates the uptake of packaging reuse by providing tools and resources for developing scalable, safe, and efficient systems and its part applications. Reusable packaging enables the transition from a wasteful linear economy to a circular economy, extending the life cycle of materials, preventing packaging littering, creating more value for packaging through digitisation, and making reuse economically viable.
The challenge
Due to the growing consumption of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and food take-away, the demand for single-use packaging has increased, leading to global waste management challenges. According to Eurostat, between 2009 and 2020, the total quantity of packaging waste generated in the EU rose by 20%, now 80 million tons and 178kg per EU citizen. Without drastic change, the amount of packaging waste will increase by a further 19% by the year 2030.
The momentum
Reusable packaging and related systems are increasing. Supported by its pioneering role and long traditions in the packaging industry, the Finnish packaging ecosystem is in an opportune moment and well positioned to take a leading role in this rapidly growing market and also position itself as the leader in the research of truly circular packaging solutions and circular economy. The technologies and system developed in the Reusify project will be commercialised in approximately ten years, generating exports of approximately over €1.45bn to Finland.
The solvers
The Reusify ecosystem covers the value chain of packaging reuse from the production of materials to recirculation. Together with ecosystems, 21 company partners and University of Vaasa, VTT will develop solutions to packaging reuse with its multidisciplinary research. The research will cover governance of reuse ecosystems, reuse system design from tracing and logistics point of view, packaging solution design and testing, verification of safety aspects, and sustainability scenarios and trade-offs. VTT is responsible for the overall project co-ordination.
The aim
The research project is not just about developing reusable packaging systems. It’s about creating new competence and export potential for a wide range of Finnish industry actors. From packaging raw materials and packaging itself to tracking, machinery, logistics, cleaning, filling, labeling, and software solutions.
Please note, this article will also appear in the 22nd edition of our quarterly publication.
