Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy, an organization focused on research and analytics, in collaboration with the U.S. Plastics Pact, a solutions-driven consortium, recently published a report on customer behavior toward reuse in the United States.
“We’ve reached a crucial moment to make reusable packaging a normal part of everyday life,” Kate Daly, Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy managing director, said. “The research in this report charts a course toward transforming reuse by starting from the customer’s point of view — understanding and overcoming the obstacles people face that stop them from developing a habit of reusing.”
The report, Unpacking Customer Perspectives on Reusable Packaging, provided five insights:
- Ongoing education and clear communication are necessary to familiarize customers with reuse logistics, enabling its adoption on a larger scale;
- There are too many tech hurdles regarding reuse tracking technology that overwhelm customers;
- For reuse systems to achieve their intended impact they must provide thoughtful design choices that balance utility, sustainability, and appeal;
- The availability of reuse options and choice help customers feel empowered to participate;
- And reuse solutions that do not demand perfection but instead meet customers where they are are most likely to support long-term habit formation.