Finland has had a bottle return system since 1952. We, the founders, have grown up with that. It's part of our culture.
Every home has a bag for empty bottles and cans, waiting to be returned to any grocery store. And we mean every home and any store, really. It's super convenient.
Once returned, you get your deposit back to spend on what you like. So it's rewarding too.
You don't see any discarded cans in Finland, making it environmentally friendly too.
In 2011 we got the idea to apply this approach to other forms of packaging and started from e-commerce because, hey, it's almost part of our daily lives.
We started RePack because such service did no exist, and for an entrepreneur if the idea is good and it does not exist - that's an opportunity to change the world for the better.
RePack is a super simple solution to ever-growing problem of packaging trash.
We are here to prevent waste before it's generated and close the loop on delivery packaging.
We do this by bringing retailers and people together in a loop of good.
Are you in?
We started RePack because such a service did not exist, and we firmly believed it should.
Now it does.
We respect other people’s time and respond and reply in a timely manner.
We expect this in return from our colleagues and partners.
We care about the well-being of the planet and the people we work with.
We are committed to scientific facts in our quest to innovate more sustainable packaging solutions.
It all started with a cardboard box that folded into letter size when empty.
Our first packaging was an utter and complete failure.
It looked good but destroyed after one use.
Luckily we had a note inside the box to get feedback and we discovered that people loved the idea.
Really loved it. They gave a score of 9,5/10.
So the packaging didn’t work but concept was liked.
We realised we were onto something here.
Good, durable packaging design is not enough.
Reverse logistics are the key to cost efficiency and scale. This requires partnerships and circular infrastructure.
We have extensive partnerships around the world to take back RePack packaging.
Currently, RePack returns take place either in postal channels or internal reverse logistics.
Once returned reusable packaging needs to be checked, cleaned and refurbished so that it's ready for another cycle.
Each RePack carries a unique ID to give us valuable information on the user behaviour, return rates and cycle times.
This data is used in impact reporting, consumer rewards, cycle optimisation and management.
RePack has worked with all the major online retailers in Europe and we have the scars to prove it.
We provide reusable packaging solutions to different operational environments and the cost of your packaging depends what type of packaging is used, in what volumes and whether empty return fee is included in the price or not.
Our main focus is on European markets, so yes, our reuse as a service is available in Europe. Outside Europe we provide bespoke packaging design services.
If you are based in France then we have good news for you. We have a specific "French Loop" in collaboration with La Poste so if you are a French retailer or wish to deploy reuse in the French market you get to the most sustainable RePack experience with the lowest cost.
We would love to say that RePack can be used 20, 50, 100, or a thousand times. Some reusable packaging companies say so. But a claim like that is simply misleading. Just like a good suitcase, a RePack packaging will last years and handle dozens of trips all over the world.
It's averaging at 75 % but the return rate is known to vary between 30 - 100%. It depends on many factors, starting from how well reuse is communicated, what is the user segment, if there is a reward, how experienced reuser receiver is, where they are from and so on. Reuse requires education. Put yourself in the shoes of the user. How many times have you used reusable packaging in e-commerce?