RePACE

Reusable packaging for takeaway meals

More and more Belgians are opting for a takeaway every week. But the impact of those takeaway meals in disposable packaging on the environment and the plastic waste mountain is huge. In the rePACE project, Thomas More, futuREproof, Red-use, Veolia, Stad Mechelen and UGent are looking into how to scale up reusable packaging systems.

When all restaurants closed their doors in 2020, many operators recovered their lost turnover with takeaway meals. Even four years later, that tradition has stuck with consumers, and takeaway meals in disposable packaging are the ideal alternative to an empty fridge on a Friday night. Although in a few years, that also made the plastic waste mountain grow briskly.

Reusable packaging for takeaways
With the rePACE (‘Reusable Packaging and Consumer Engagement’) project, the partners are looking into how they can scale up reusable packaging systems for takeaway meals in the Ghent and Mechelen regions. To this end, Thomas More is engaging with policy partners, consumers, local catering businesses and logistics chain players in the region. Partners futuREproof, Red-use and Veolia focus on the technical bottlenecks such as a generic collection point, last-mile delivery, cleaning standards and an open system for optimal chain cooperation between all parties.

Pilot projects in Ghent and Mechelen
With these insights, the college is launching pilot projects in Ghent and Mechelen. There, it is joining forces again with catering businesses and rolling out the switch to reusable packaging on a larger scale.