The aim of this project was to assess the environmental contribution of reusable packaging models in the context of take-away and mass consumption, thus putting into context the obligations currently defined in national legislation. Promoted by the Portuguese Association of Distribution Companies (APED), this project was also intended to help define coherent, sustainable policies in line with environmental objectives.
The methodological approach considered the analysis of the legal and strategic framework and the benchmarking of technical reuse models, including refill, return and business-to-business solutions. Specifically for take-away packaging, a life cycle assessment and economic evaluation was carried out, along with an analysis of barriers and opportunities between single-use and reusable solutions. For mass consumption, which included the analysis of primary, secondary, tertiary and e-commerce packaging, the study considered the environmental and feasibility assessment of the various reuse models and solutions.
As a result of this project, it was possible to draw up public policy recommendations. These include the definition of policies based on evidence of environmental added value, the implementation of scaled solutions and the harmonization of the national legal framework with that provided for at European level.
