Survey: On-The-Go Reusable Packaging has Few Fans

Since January 1, 2023, vendors of takeaway food must offer their customers reusable alternatives in addition to disposable plastic packaging and provide information about this at the point of sale. For drinks, the obligation even applies regardless of the disposable material used. However, almost half of consumers (47%) have never used the option of refillable food and drink containers. A further 19 percent - almost one in five - state that they never buy ready-to-eat food when they are out and about.
These are the findings of a representative survey of almost 3,500 consumers conducted by market and opinion researchers from the Yougov Institute. Currently, 4 percent buy takeaway food and drink in reusable containers about once a week, while 5 percent are willing to do so less than once a week. 11% of interviewees use the service less than once a month.
According to the survey results, consumers in the 18 to 34 age group are particularly willing to face the challenges associated with reusable packaging, such as paying a deposit, cleaning empty packaging and then returning it to a return point for a deposit refund. The Lebensmittelzeitung reports on the results of the survey, stating that the 55+ age group is less or not at all inclined to do so.
A look at the financial situation of the interviewees shows that middle-income earners and high-income earners use reusable packaging more often than consumers with lower incomes. Consumers living in the five eastern German states also tend to accept and use reusable packaging more often.
Consumer advocates and NGOs such as Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) do not see consumers as the main reason for the rather weak enthusiasm for reusable packaging. Companies are still not inspected enough, so that violations of the obligation to reuse are only insufficiently sanctioned. In addition, the requirement to draw the attention of to-go shoppers to the reusable option, or to have staff do so, is often disregarded
DUH also criticizes the fact that catering businesses can opt for a reusable system of their choice. As a result, there are numerous individual system solutions on the market, meaning that bowls, plates, boxes and cups can either only be returned to the distributor or to a catering business that uses the same reusable system.
The reusable container supplier Vytal comes to a different conclusion: the demand for Vytal's reusable containers has increased in recent years. Users can return their Vytal containers wherever they are used: At participating restaurants or in canteen return boxes. All you need is an app to scan, borrow and return the cups or plates. The app also lists drop-off points and each user can see how much disposable packaging they have already saved. Now the consumer goods giant Pepsico also wants to cooperate with the reusable provider.