In many cases, shipping packaging is the type of packaging that does not have a particularly long life. To change this, conserve resources and avoid emissions, retailers are looking for more sustainable solutions. One possible concept is reusable packaging. The young company Hey Circle offers such a reusable shipping packaging solution.
Hey Circle's reusable packaging has been in circulation since spring 2022. Prior to this, founder Doris Diebold worked with her team on the design and concept. The question of the material was particularly important, as the boxes should also be particularly sustainable. In the end, it was a mixture: The boxes and mailing bags are made of over 95 per cent PP and the rest PE. This means that the shipping packaging can be recycled at the end of its first life cycle via two established material flows.
In the long term, new shipping packaging is to be produced from the recycled material obtained and a high proportion of recycled material in the packaging is to be achieved. The patented boxes are lightweight, robust and dirt-repellent. It was also important for the CO2 footprint that they are space-saving, foldable and recyclable.
For reusable packaging to be a sustainable alternative to disposable packaging, it must be in circulation several times. For Hey Circle this means that the shipping packaging has to hold its own against a normal cardboard box. With 40 rounds, a reusable shipping box from the company avoids 40 per cent of the CO2 emissions of a disposable box despite returning the empty boxes and bags. The packaging is patented and labelled as climate-neutral by ClimatePartner.
Network of partners for easy returns
Companies can hire the reusable shipping boxes and send their goods in them. Both the bag and the box are available in different sizes. The company can then decide whether to finance the shipping packaging itself or pass it on to the end consumer. Part of the reusable shipping system is a downstream deposit systemIf packaging is not returned by the consumer, it will be invoiced. This is intended to achieve a high return rate.
Hey Circle also has further developments planned for the future in the area of returns. The company wants to set up a returns network so that the packaging can be handed in at drugstores, supermarkets and pharmacies, for example, in addition to the parcel service provider. This creates additional convenience for consumers, should reduce the cost of returns and increase the market. Hey Circle's main goal is to make reusable packaging the standard for shipping.
The concept is well received. The company was successful with its reusable solution among the nominees for the German Sustainability Award and the special packaging prize.