From May 2025, Citeo plans to implement a reusable packaging system in large food retailers throughout four regions in Western France; its goal is to unlock reuse for 16 million consumers and bring the system to a national scale.
Currently, reuse is mostly utilized by local businesses and/or sold by selective distribution brands in particular product categories. Research conducted by Citeo and ObSoCo suggests that a lack of availability is preventing 61% of French consumers from transitioning into reuse.
In response, Citeo founded its ReUse scheme in May 2023 – aiming to help reuse 10% of packaging by 2027, as required by France’s AGEC law, and encourage responsible consumption among the French population.
Around one hundred stakeholders – including brands, distributors, glassmakers, operators, federations, and associations – are now working together to develop a shared national reuse system for food packaging in supermarkets. Their model will be tested among food retailers in Pays-de-la-Loire, Brittany, Normandy, and Hauts-de-France, with the regions chosen for their reported proactivity when it comes to reuse.
Stakeholders hope to create a nationwide, shared, and optimized system for food packaging in large and medium-sized stores. They intend to market 30 million items of standard reusable packaging, featuring Citeo’s open-source R-Coeur reusable packs, and optimize the recovery, collection, transport, sorting, and washing stages for full efficiency.
In 2025, a prefiguration phase will take place. The feedback from this phase will be used to design a national system for a regional activation phase, with implementation scheduled for 2026.
A call for expressions of interest will take place this month to select a single, regional service provider. This company will be tasked with coordinating the operations of all stakeholders, including manufacturers, distributors, and operators.
Reusable packaging standards are also set to be developed in October, with methods of recovery expected to be installed in stores from March 2025 and deployment expected to begin in May.
The system aims to recover reusable packaging at all points of sale, then collect and transport it for redistribution. In a bid to keep costs and risks at a minimum, Citeo and its ReUse stakeholders have worked to design a system to collect used packs and deliver them to the appropriate washing facilities.
Furthermore, it hopes to improve the reliability of the washing process; and to encourage consumers to adopt reuse by ensuring clear communication in a ‘simple and consistent consumer journey’.
Citeo will apparently finance operational deployment with the 5% of its budget dedicated to funding the transition into reuse.
Since June 2024, the organization has searched for “Encore plus de réemploi”, or “Even more reuse”, projects to cover between 50% and 70% of marketer-related reuse costs.
In July, a call for tender sought out manufacturers that could produce recovery equipment that would meet the functional needs of the ecosystem in 2023, as well as anticipate the production of equipment required for further development.
A call for expression of interest searched for stores willing to receive the recovery equipment, and a call for projects from food packaging washers looked to cover investment costs and acquire the necessary skills to bring washing lined into compliance with the defined requirements.
Additionally, a call for expressions of interest was launched at the end of last month to provide the first pallets of R-Coeur packaging and prepare product offers.
The announcement comes after previous Encore plus de réemploi winners and Nestlé brands KitKat and Lion announced a six-month trial to sell bite-sized chocolates in returnable steel containers throughout the Hauts-de-France region. Nestlé France, Le Fourgon, Circolution, and Bocoloco will work together to contribute to Nestlé’s goal to sell 100% reusable or recyclable packaging by 2025.
Similarly, Ocado Retail will deliver household essentials in pre-filled, reusable vessels as part of a new trial. The move is anticipated to replace up to five single-use plastic packs per vessel and reduce plastic waste in online grocery shopping.
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