Starting 1 January, restaurants, cafes, and organisers serving over 150 people per day in Sweden must offer customers the option of takeaway in reusable cups and containers instead of disposable ones. Researchers have studied how this transition can be achieved.
This legislation is a measure to reduce littering and the consumption of single-use plastic products within the EU, affecting everything from fast-food chains, restaurants, cafes, and grocery stores to event organisers.
– Many are now faced with the question of how to solve and succeed in the transition, says Lars Witell, Professor of Business Administration at CTF, who has worked on the issue as part of the demonstration project Retake.
How was the research conducted?
– Throughout 2023, we tested, evaluated, and refined a rotation system with reusable containers for food and beverages during events such as the Gothenburg Horse Show, Almedalsveckan, and Göteborgs Kulturkalas. My colleagues and I have observed and talked to event attendees and restaurateurs on-site to gain a user perspective on how the system is perceived and how well it functions. This knowledge is crucial for designing services and business models, encouraging customers to choose the sustainable alternative, and facilitating collaborative value creation among different actors in this new ecosystem of sustainable takeaways.
What have you concluded?
– To achieve the intended environmental effects in an economically sustainable way, many customers must choose reusable takeaways, and these items must be returned. It's important to create attractive solutions for customers, where reusable containers contribute to a positive customer experience, and there are many easily accessible return stations. It should be easy to do the right thing and contribute to the environment.
What message do you want to convey to businesses affected by the new law?
– To make the transition work, it's essential to educate both employees and customers about how reusable takeaways work. This will make it engaging to reduce the amount of paper and plastic being discarded. The rotation system must be well-designed so that customers return the reusable containers instead of disposing of them in a trash bin or keeping them in a kitchen cabinet. Therefore, it's important to consider whether a deposit system with a fee for unreturned items is necessary or if the system can function without it.
And to customers?
– Try it out! Request your takeaway coffee or lunch in a reusable container so we can accelerate this transition! It might be a bit tricky initially with various systems, but if many customers demand these solutions, we will see more and better options. As customers, we can expedite this transition.
The demonstration project Retake has been conducted by the Chalmers Industriteknik Foundation in collaboration with the Service Research Center (CTF) at Karlstad University, Panter, Light My Fire, Samhall, Göteborg & Co, Got Event, and Region Gotland, with financial support from the Swedish Energy Agency, Vinnova and Formas, through the strategic innovation programme RE:Source.
