Reuse requires more than a reusable package. It depends on a complete system: common formats, collection points, return logistics, sorting, washing, data management, consumer communication and cooperation across the value chain. Citeo’s ReUse initiative is testing how such a shared system can operate in practice across four French regions: Brittany, Normandy, Pays de la Loire and Hauts-de-France.
Since June 2025, reusable food packaging has gradually been introduced into participating stores in the four regions. More than 360 stores now offer reusable packaging, giving an estimated 16 million consumers access to the system. The initiative brings together around one hundred stakeholders, including brands, retailers, glass manufacturers, service providers, federations and associations, with the common objective of developing a national, shared reuse system for food packaging sold in supermarkets.
The regional pilot is an important practical test of how reuse can be made convenient and scalable. Around fifty brands, producers and retailers are involved in the experimentation, covering nearly 170 product references. Rather than requiring each business to develop a separate collection and washing system, the ReUse model aims to create a common loop that can be used by multiple actors.
After its first year, the initiative has already generated useful operational and consumer insights. More than 518,000 deposit-bearing products were sold, while 108,000 reusable packages were returned. The average return rate reached 24%, with some cases achieving rates of up to 60%. Consumers gave the shopping experience an average score of 8.6 out of 10, an encouraging indication that reuse can be integrated into everyday purchasing habits when the system is clear and accessible.
A key feature of the initiative is the development of shared, standardised packaging. Citeo has created an open-source range of reusable formats, known as “R-Cœur”, to allow brands and retailers to use the same packaging pool. The objective is to make each stage of the loop more efficient: collection, transport, sorting, washing and redistribution can be organised at greater scale when the packaging formats are compatible and shared between participating businesses.
The first formats available included a one-litre wide-neck bottle for products such as milk, juices and soups, and a 75cl amber bottle for beer. The range is being extended with additional bottles, jars and wine bottles. Consumers can return the packaging through automated or semi-manual collection equipment in stores, with the deposit refunded after return. Six retail groups are participating in the regional experiment, including Carrefour, Coopérative U, Intermarché, Monoprix, E. Leclerc and La Brasserie du Bout du Monde.
Logistics and washing are central to the success of the system. The regional loop brings returned packaging to consolidation and washing facilities, where it is prepared for reuse. A single service provider, GO! Réemploi, coordinates the operational loop, including packaging stock management, collection, transport, sorting, washing and the information system needed to track the packaging and secure the financial flows associated with the deposit.
The experience demonstrates the value of collaboration in overcoming the practical barriers to reuse. Shared packaging formats, common consumer communication and coordinated logistics can reduce the cost and complexity that individual companies would face if they acted alone. The results of the pilot will be valuable as France and other European countries continue to develop reuse systems in the context of the PPWR’s future reuse targets.