Incentivised returns

For the last five years Again Again has tackled single-use packaging (SUP) waste in cross-counter food and beverage sales, mostly for coffee and tap-poured beer.

There's a growing demand for a reusable packaging (RUP) solution across a much wider range of use cases, notably for return-on-the-go, pre-packaged food, beverage, and grocery items, and events.

To serve broader use cases, our experiments to date have helped us build a picture of important success factors for a scalable reuse system:

As such, Again Again proposes the following workflow to incentivise returns. This workflow has been socialised with several stakeholders in the segments above and is receiving significant support. We invite your review and feedback.

Incentivised return

Proposed workflow

Events

In a New Zealand and global context, events are one of the key segments that are gaining traction. This is primarily driven by the ability to remove SUP - driving 100% user adoption. It is clear that if people have to choose RUP when SUP is available, uptake is hampered, but in an event scenario, if people have to choose beer-with-RUP, or no beer, beer always wins and RUP comes in the box set.

Increasingly, council-supported initiatives are building sanitisation infrastructure. When combined with the workflow above that facilitates recollection and maintains financial accountability for the cups and containers, this system will immediately create local and regional value.

WORKFLOW

The workflow below is now funded and will be piloting in June-July 2024.

Costing is still being worked out.

It will be structured as such:

• Event licence/day

• Usage charge/return, approx 6-9c/return

• The deposit that is paid out on behalf of the event manager/asset owner will be on-charged at cost, less fees.

Full event solution

This is currently in design, and we are working through funding options with stakeholders.

pilot design project

The Kiwi Reuse Pilot

The proposed workflow above is getting good support, but for real impact, we must bring this to life.

In the conversations we’ve had with large food brands and retailers, most are now keen to develop a reuse strategy, but don't know how to get started; or their early explorations have quickly led to the realisation that reuse is very difficult to achieve alone.

As such, we are concurrently proposing, and seeking funding for, a feasibility study, industry consultation, and the design of a multibrand pilot.

Again Again already has several national and global brands in support of this workflow. Notably from;

Envirohubs Aotearoa (EHA) - a collective of environment centres nationally that are well underway with designing sanitisation infrastructure to service small to medium-sized events regionally. The Plastics Innovation Fund is reviewing their application and we are cited as their technology partner for this.

Bettercup - Australia/NZs largest events focused reusable cup system. Bettercup provides reusable cups, project management and sanitisation services.

Waste Wizards - Event waste management services offered in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

Zespri - Zespri is the world’s largest marketer of Kiwifruit, selling $3.9B NZD into the global market. Much of this is packaged in SUP - especially in export markets - and from these markets, there is increasing pressure to move away from plastic waste packaging.

Rockit - Rockit sells premium apples in their iconic and distinctive plastic tubes - great for keeping the premium food well looked after and presented - not so good for the increasing pressure to take plastic out of packaging.

If you or your organisation is keen to be involved, please be in touch. At this stage, we are asked for your engagement in the process, and not for a financial contribution.