Materials & Packaging

The 5 Product Categories Most Primed to Embrace Reusable Packaging Systems

New study from Closed Loop Partners and the US Plastics Pact identifies the top 5 consumer product categories poised for near-term reuse success in US retail.

Published 4 days ago | About a 4 minute read

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Today, Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy and the US Plastics Pact released new insights to facilitate the ongoing expansion of reusable packaging solutions in the US.

The report, Getting Ready for Reuse in Retail, identifies five high-priority product categories primed for near-term implementation of reusable packaging and serves as a guide for businesses looking to pinpoint packaging formats best suited for reuse, to cut costs along with single-use packaging waste.

The report is released at a time of increased scrutiny on the economic and environmental impact of single-use plastic packaging in the US; every day, 225,000 tons of single-use packaging are used in this country alone. Research and in-market tests over the last decade have shown the importance of reuse and refill systems in a circular packaging economy. However, implementing reuse requires significant shifts in operations and infrastructure, reverse logistics and consumer education. To advance a successful shift to reuse at scale, it is critical to begin with categories that show the most immediate potential to meet intended environmental, operational and financial goals.

As central hubs of consumer interaction, retail stores are uniquely positioned to lead a transition to reuse. They can scale reuse systems that can transform the way US consumers shop while minimizing ecological impact.

After analyzing the 10 consumer product categories that account for over 90% of purchased packaged goods sold in US grocery retail stores, the study identified the top five product categories best suited for near-term adoption of reuse:

Prepared food packaging in retail — such as for salad bars, snack bars and rotisserie chickens
Fresh produce containers, especially if pre-cut and packed locally and manually
Beverage bottles for localized supply chains such as milk and dairy, leveraging legacy reusable packaging supply chains
Home care product bottles, such as liquid cleaners and detergents, which often are already in durable containers
Personal care product bottles, such as soaps and shampoos, especially if they can leverage similar return infrastructure as bottles from beverage or home care products.

The report delves into insights and opportunities within each category, including its potential to deliver environmental benefits and achieve operational alignment and consumer acceptance.

“Reuse is at a pivotal point of development in the US. To get to the next phase of scale, it is critical to align concerted efforts around target categories,” said Kate Daly, Managing Partner and Head of the Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners. “With collaborative and coordinated work that reimagines our supply chains across retail sectors, we can transform the way everyday products are used and recovered — paving the way to a future where reuse is an everyday norm in the US.”

Since 2018, the Center for the Circular Economy has worked to eliminate packaging and material waste through reuse solutions in retail stores and restaurants across the US — with industry giants joining forces and gathering insights from promising recent pilots by the Center’s Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag and NextGen Consortium. The latter’s most recent foray was 2024’s Petaluma Reusable Cup Project — which brought together brands including Starbucks, PepsiCo and Yum! Brands in the nation’s first citywide program to offer free reusable to-go cups to every customer. The results of the pilot, released last month, showed environmental benefits in three months and proved the viability of reuse programs at scale.

The Center and the US Plastics Pact

The US Plastics Pact brings together businesses, NGOs, government agencies, trade organizations and research institutions to work together toward a common vision of a circular economy for plastics — in which plastics never become waste. The US Pact's latest strategic plan, Roadmap 2.0, includes a target dedicated solely to reuse.

The Center began its collaboration with the US Plastics Pact in 2023 — engaging the customer bases of 16 reuse innovators participating in the Pact’s Reuse Catalyst Program, and studying early-adopter behavior to discover five key insights on how reuse systems can be positioned to create the most appeal for consumers.

“Collaboration across the value chain is essential to addressing the complex challenge of plastic waste, as no single brand or retailer can drive systemic change alone,” said Jonathan Quinn, CEO of the US Plastics Pact. “This research is an important step in exploring reuse as one strategy to reduce plastic waste, providing insights that can help advance collective action and support a range of scalable solutions.”

While this report highlights five retail product categories that are most primed for a near-term transition to reuse, other retail categories present opportunities for the long term. However, before scaling to other categories, it is important to begin with those primed for the switch and gather insights to inform further implementation.

In the coming year, the Center will continue scaling reuse solutions through in-market activations and research. And as a direct result of this report, the US Plastics Pact will launch a precompetitive initiative to facilitate brands and retailers in shifting one product category to reuse in retail.