A new report involving 115 reuse companies across Europe offers the most comprehensive snapshot yet of how reusable packaging systems are performing, what is holding them back, and what they need to scale. One of the key contributors, New ERA tells us more about what the future holds for this critical industry sector.
Led by New ERA – New European Reuse Alliance, Zero Waste Europe, and Planet Reuse, the European Reuse Barometer 2025 is designed as a strategic market tool: it compiles operational, economic and social data across reuse businesses, then consolidates it into indicators and insights that companies, investors and policymakers can use to build the case for reuse.
The case for evidence: why the Reuse Barometer is needed
Reusable packaging is increasingly referenced as a key solution to reduce waste and keep resources in the loop, but the market still suffers from a lack of comparable, real-world evidence on performance, costs, business models and infrastructure needs. And without that evidence, decisions stay cautious.
- Policymakers struggle to set ambitious targets with confidence (and to design the enforcement and enabling measures that make targets real).
- Investors and funders lack visibility on where the strongest opportunities are and what types of support would unlock growth.
- Brands and producers find it difficult to assess which models are mature and how to move from pilots to scale.
- Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) lack a comprehensive overview of reuse infrastructure and system maturity, making it difficult to take informed strategic investment decisions to support the reuse industry.
This is exactly the gap the Barometer aims to close: provide data that is comparable and updated annually to track progress, highlight what is already working, and identify bottlenecks to support development of reuse systems.
What the 2025 data reveals
The 2025 Barometer goes broader and deeper. While the first edition focused on takeaway, retail and e-commerce, the new edition also includes transport packaging, increasing the robustness of the dataset. It paints a clearer picture of a sector that is expanding and investing, yet still constrained by demand and policy gaps.
A growing but still maturing market – Across sectors, 88% of surveyed companies describe the reuse market as emerging or growing, with only 12% considering it established. Even in transport packaging, most actors still see room for development. Reuse is no longer a marginal experiment, but a market in formation. Momentum is visible: 94% of companies report moderate to rapid growth, with average annual revenue growth of around 11%. However, scale remains uneven, with transport and B2B hospitality showing greater financial maturity than retail and e-commerce.
Profitability is within reach – More than half (53%) of companies report a positive operating margin in 2024. Profitability closely follows sector maturity: transport and B2B hospitality actors are more often profitable, while retail and e-commerce models continue consolidating their business cases. Still, the majority of companies expect to reach profitability within five years.
Investment is flowing, but predictability is key – In 2025, 59% of companies have raised or plan to raise funding, averaging €4.3 million per company. Many remain in early funding stages, highlighting a sector transitioning from pilot to growth. Predictable regulation and enforcement will be essential to unlock further private investment.
Return rates are strong where systems work – In e-commerce and B2C hospitality, 67% and 58% of companies respectively report return rates above 95%. Deposit-refund and penalty-based systems, often supported by digital tracking and reminders, are proving effective. Where infrastructure and incentives are in place, consumers participate.
Operational performance shows room for scale – Among 39 companies operating cleaning facilities, 70% report using only 2–45% of their washing capacity. The bottleneck is therefore not technical readiness, but insufficient demand. Infrastructure exists; uptake must now accelerate.
Barriers are clear (and solvable) – Companies identify low consumer adoption (29%), regulatory gaps and lack of enforcement (25%), and high investment and operational costs (19%) as the main obstacles to scale. Notably, 43% cite stronger policy progress and enforcement as the key driver to unlock growth.
Dive deep into the findings of the 2025 European Reuse Barometer and download the full report here.
Country-level insight: Belgium as a blueprint for national extensions
A key evolution in 2025 is the launch of Belgium Reuse, a local extension of the Barometer conducted by Fost Plus and ConsomAction. National editions show what becomes possible when European benchmarking is paired with country-level detail, highlighting strengths, cultural and logistical enablers, and where adoption still needs support. You can find the English version here.
This opens the door to future national editions elsewhere in Europe – a natural next step to expand the knowledge of the sector at the EU level and on local ground.
Get involved in the next edition
The Barometer is designed to improve year on year, and its value grows with participation. Expanding the dataset means better geographic coverage, more representative sector insights, and more robust benchmarks for everyone working on reuse.
If you operate a reuse solution (or are scaling a reusable packaging model within your business), participating is a straightforward way to:
- increase visibility in a leading European benchmark,
- contribute to industry-wide evidence and performance standards,
- and help build the intelligence base that shapes policy, investment and collaboration.
To be included in the 2026 edition, reach out to the Barometer team at francois@inoffplastic.com.
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