This year, Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) and the Stiftung Initiative Mehrweg are awarding the Reusable Innovation Prize to four outstanding reusable projects: two weight-optimised 1.0 litre and 0.7 litre pool reusable bottles, a fully comprehensive pool system for reusable jars in the food trade and a reusable concept for cosmetics and drugstore products.
Weight-optimised reusable pool bottles
Verallia is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of glass packaging and has developed the eco-design of the 1.0 litre returnable pool bottle from the Association of the German Fruit Juice Industry (VdF) improved. By optimising the weight by 65 grams per bottle, it not only consumes fewer resources and produces less CO2, but also optimises logistics processes during bottle transport.
In addition, the also the 0.7 litre returnable pool bottle of the VdF by 40 grams compared to the previous bottle, with the same circulation frequency. This innovation was developed by Ardagh, one of the world's leading manufacturers of glass and metal packaging.
Reusable glass system for food
Circujar is the first manufacturer-independent pool system for returnable glass in the food sector. With the coordination of individual steps in the reusable system - from the provision of universal jars, return via existing reverse vending machines, deposit and pool management, central rinsing, quality assurance to redistribution to the manufacturers - Circujar is characterised as a holistic full-service approach.the use of reusable jars for spreads, soups and sauces opens up new product areas where previously there was almost only disposable. A Circujar reusable jar can Replace up to 50 single-use packagings and save up to 70 per cent CO2 compared to certain disposable packaging.
Reusable system for cosmetics and drugstore products
Sea Me GmbH has created zerooo, a scalable pooling reusable system for cosmetics and drugstore products such as shampoo, liquid soap and washing-up liquid, and has been offering reusable glass bottles since 2021. In a joint concept with manufacturers and retailers, zerooo has now the first serialised returnable PET bottle in the cosmetics and drugstore industry introduced. The reusable PET bottle offers practical advantages for use in the bathroom in particular, making it a particularly attractive sustainable alternative to disposable PET bottles. Due to PET bottles are reused 10 to 15 times can save up to 50 per cent energy, CO2 and water compared to other disposable packaging, according to the company.
„If companies such as the glass manufacturers Verallia and Ardagh continue to optimise reusable bottles by reducing their weight, thereby saving additional energy, CO2 and resources, then the arguments in favour of reusable packaging will become ever stronger. The expansion of reusable bottles to other product groups is also necessary in order to stem the tide of packaging waste. In Germany alone, around 1.17 billion items of disposable packaging are used for spreads every year. Circujar's reusable system therefore has huge savings potential. Just like the zerooo reusable system in the single-use dominated cosmetics and drugstore sector. Retailers must now take responsibility and make these products widely available.“
Jens Oldenburg, Managing Director of the Stiftung Initiative Mehrweg
Source: DUH
