Reuse Is Ready: Reflections from the Reuse Economy Expo
Last week, Irina had the pleasure of attending the Reuse Economy Expo as part of the Buddie-Pack project’s final showcase. It was a fantastic opportunity to see how quickly the reuse sector is developing and expanding beyond packaging into textiles, construction, furniture, leisure, electronics, and other sectors.
One thing became very clear throughout the Expo: many of the enabling elements for reuse are already here. Across the exhibition floor, there were examples of innovative packaging design, collection and washing systems, reverse logistics, refill infrastructure, automation technologies, and tracing solutions, including digital product passports.
It was also great to see our members exhibiting and contributing to the discussion, including Amcor, Avery Dennison, IQPack, and PackHUB.
A particular highlight was seeing Buddie-Pack present findings from its large-scale reuse demonstrations. The project has provided valuable real-life insights into designing reuse systems from scratch, covering material selection, packaging manufacturing, recycling pathways, washing and hygiene considerations, business models, life cycle assessment (LCA), life cycle costing (LCC), and policy requirements. The project has created a significant body of practical knowledge and experience tested in real operating conditions. Project deliverables and findings can be accessed here https://www.buddie-pack.com/deliverables
One of the strongest themes throughout the Expo was that industry is working hard to make reuse a reality, but policy still needs to match the scale of the challenge. Discussions covered examples of French EPR approaches helping to advance reuse, city-wide single-use restrictions, and the wider regulatory frameworks needed for reuse systems to scale economically while remaining safe, practical, and environmentally sound.
The importance of policy was further highlighted by the visit of the French President Emmanuel Macron to the Expo. A UK delegation visit organised by GoUnpackaged facilitated knowledge exchange and learning from the French approach to implementing reuse systems.
Several large-scale demonstrations and pilots also showed the momentum building internationally, including reusable mushroom tray trials across Belgium and a citywide reuse pilot in Ottawa delivered by the UK-based company Reposit and partners.
Overall, the Expo provided excellent inspiration and practical food for thought. It was encouraging to see how much progress is already happening across technology, infrastructure, and collaboration and how strongly the industry recognises reuse as a critical part of future circular systems.
If you would like to discuss reuse systems, policy developments, or opportunities for collaboration, please get in touch.