ReLoop Has Created the First System to Combine Ready-Made Meals With the Automatic Return of Reusable, Traceable Packaging

The circular model, based on packaging designed for at least 40 uses, will reduce the impact of single-use plastic by up to 95%.

The companies AUSOLAN, AWAYTER, ITC Packaging and the AIMPLAS Plastics Technology Centre are collaborating on this project.

Image Credit: AIMPLAS

More than 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced worldwide every year, and approximately half of this is designed for single-use, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Less than 10% of this waste is recycled, a trend that is driving up global plastic pollution.

As UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen points out, “we will not emerge from the plastic pollution crisis by relying solely on recycling: we need a systemic transformation to achieve the transition to a circular economy”.

It is against this backdrop that ReLoop was launched, a project that integrates, within a single system, the automatic dispensing of prepared food and the return of reusable, traceable containers in a closed-loop system – a solution previously unavailable on the market, designed to reduce the carbon footprint by between 90% and 95% compared to single-use packaging. 

The initiative is driven by a consortium comprising AUSOLAN, a leader in catering for institutions; AWAYTER, a manufacturer of innovative IoT and self-service solutions; ITC Packaging, a leading player in packaging; and AIMPLAS, the Plastics Technology Centre. The four partners are working together to develop a comprehensive circular model that enables the circulation of reusable packaging, monitors its lifespan and manages its return in an automated manner.

The project also fits within an increasingly demanding regulatory framework. In Spain, Law 7/2022 imposes a tax on the use of non-reusable packaging at a rate of €0.45 per kilo of non-recycled plastic placed on the market, which accelerates the adoption of more sustainable solutions without compromising competitiveness. 

As Amaia Agirre, Director of Innovation at Ausolan, explains, “closed-loop reuse is one of the most effective alternatives for reducing the use of single-use plastics, but it requires overcoming significant technological and logistical challenges”.

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