Fost Plus is helping Albert Heijn, Aldi, Carrefour, Colruyt, Delhaize, and Lidl pilot reusable packaging for mushrooms in line with the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation’s upcoming ban on single-use plastics for fresh produce.
Based in Mechelen, the REPASYS project invites consumers to pay a €0.30 deposit to buy mushrooms in a reusable container, then receive a refund when they return the container to any participating store. The trays are industrially cleaned between uses, then re-circulated.
Each tray is individually traced via a QR code based on the GS1 standard. These are implemented to measure return rates, consumption habits, and logistical efficiency across the supply chain.
The data will be used to gauge the system’s success and highlight the necessary conditions to expand the pilot into other products and regions.
The pilot is also set to align with the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation’s ban on single-use plastic packaging for fresh fruit and vegetables by 2030. Its findings will be used to advise other members transitioning into reuse.
“What makes REPASYS interesting to us is the combination of the project’s ambition and the simplicity of the system,” says Elke Gijsbrechts, senior sustainable packaging expert at Fost Plus.
“Uniform packaging, a clear deposit, and returns at any participating store: these are precisely the conditions needed to remove barriers to reuse. The data we collect will help us advise our members on what works and what doesn’t — and on the conditions necessary to move forward.
This initiative was first announced in November 2024, with the partners coming together under the Flemish reuse initiative Green Deal Anders Verpakt. Other participants included Pack4Food, MIVAS, FME, Kingslize Premium Pizza, Twintag, M-ECS, deSter, and Comeos.
Together, the companies sought to prevent the creation of new, unnecessary packaging, standardize reusable packaging to simplify the return process, and address the ‘gap between ambition and action’.
In other news, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and the University of Vaasa have developed Reusify, a reuse pilot for takeaway and grocery packaging in European supermarkets. Designed to be ‘as easy as buying a ready meal’, the programme is expected to serve as a commercially viable framework for cities and retailers as binding waste reduction targets for 2030 enter into force.
The U.S. Plastics Pact has also published a report suggesting that a return-on-the-go model for food, home, and personal care products is currently the most successful reuse system for retailers. It recommends prepared food as the best category for an initial launch, with fresh produce ranking highly for future launches.
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