Just like kids often need rewards to clean their rooms, consumers can be nudged into more sustainable choices with the right framework — without the guilt trip.
Brands often focus on making sustainability easy, practical and affordable (and brown, for some reason). But what about making it irresistible? Some consumers need more than facts — they need a little gentle parenting.

Het opzetten van herbruikbare verpakkingssystemen kan kostbaar en complex zijn, maar pooling-systemen bieden bedrijven de mogelijkheid om de kosten te delen en tegelijkertijd de economische en milieuvoordelen van hergebruik te benutten. In deze sessie presenteerde Searious Business het RePLHA-project, een innovatief pooling-systeem voor herbruikbare verpakkingen in de sector van grote huishoudelijke apparaten in Europa. Het systeem is ontworpen om te voldoen aan de komende PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation) eisen en zorgt voor gedeelde voordelen.

Willemijn Peeters, Founder of Searious Business, reflects on her experience at the last Plastic Treaty negotiations in Busan. While progress may feel like one step forward and half a step back, she assures us that the trajectory remains firmly in the right direction.

The RePLHA consortium, facilitated by Searious Business, is at the forefront of creating an environmentally sustainable and economically efficient reuse system for transport packaging in the large household appliances (LHA) sector. With the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) mandating 40% reusable transport packaging for EU shipments and 100% for packaging within the same member state or company sites, the consortium aims to deliver reusable transport solutions for white goods by 2030.

Yet more challenges await our intrepid adventurers in magical realm of reusable packaging! How would these packages journey from owner to user and back again without enduring any damage? How could we ensure the cycle continues again and again? And what of their epic end-of-life finale—would they gracefully re-enter the recycling cycle for a brand-new adventure?The path was filled with challenges, from linking the key players in the chain to unlocking the secrets of reverse logistics. But fear not, dear reader! Our heroes have uncovered new clues, revealing how reuse can be profitable, scalable, and seamless. Join us as we follow the next steps in the journey, piecing together the ultimate treasure map for a circular packaging system.

Eindhoven, March 2025 — The RePLHA consortium, facilitated by Searious Business, is at the forefront of creating an environmentally sustainable and economically efficient reuse system for transport packaging in the large household appliances (LHA) sector. With the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) mandating 40% reusable transport packaging for EU shipments and 100% for packaging within the same member state or company sites, the consortium aims to deliver reusable transport solutions for white goods by 2030. RePLHA is the acronym for Reusable Transport Packaging for Large Household Appliances.

Remember that National Geographic photo of a seahorse clutching a floating cotton swab? Or the viral video of a turtle in Costa Rica having a straw painfully removed from his nose? We all remember these images. The world saw them and stopped in its tracks. That turtle inspired millions into action. He started a revolution.

But now it’s time to say NO MORE TURTLES!

In the halls of government, in boardrooms across industries, and even among neighbours figuring out which bin goes out today, one topic keeps coming up: packaging waste. We all know that the current "make, use, discard" cycle can't last forever. To protect our planet and our future, we must hold onto our resources for as long as we can. One powerful solution is reusable packaging. Emma Samson from the circular plastics company Searious Business outlines the top 10 commercial reasons why the reverse logistics industry should embrace the "Bring It Back" movement.

In the last chapter, we followed our heroes through a variety of packaging ownership models, from the wild autonomy of "bring-your-own" to tightly controlled pooling systems. Along the way, we discovered that each type of packaging is unique, and by choosing the proper tracking methods, we can keep them on the right path. Now, it is time to face another crucial challenge: ensuring they don't lose money along the way. If reusable packaging is to truly succeed, it's not enough to protect the environment; we must also uncover the treasure of profitability at every stop because businesses hesitate to leap into the unknown.

On the final day of the 4th round of negotiations for the United Nations’ Global Plastics Treaty in Ottawa, Willemijn Peeters, founder of Searious Business, gives us an update on her highlights from INC-4 thus far.

What happens to a dishwasher’s plastic components at the end of the appliance’s life? How can we recover these valuable materials and give them a new purpose? As part of its continuing goal to create sustainable, value-added customer solutions, Evonik has set out to find answers to these important questions. Searious Business helped them find solutions to this recycling challenge.

One of the arguments we hear about reusable packaging is that it's just too hard. Quickly followed, it's too expensive, and customers don't want it. We would argue that reusable packaging is not at all hard. In fact, we all used to use it not that long ago. It will take some planning and some getting used to, but one thing it's certainly not is more expensive. This inspired Searious Business to look at one of the world's most hectic and complex foodservice sectors – Indian Street Food.

Sometimes, working in sustainability, you get hit with challenging times, and last week was a political doozy. It began with an anticlimactic return from Kenya, followed by the disappointing dilution of the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), a surprising U-turn on pesticide control in the Green Deal, and ended with a ‘less-than-favourable’ result in the Dutch general elections. Despite these troubling developments, we don’t have the luxury of resting in the corner, licking our wounds. We must cling to the positive and get ready for the next round. On returning from INC-3, our CEO Willemijn Peeters explores the nuanced dynamics of the negotiations – the stormy nights but also the sun shining through the clouds.

On September 4, 2023, the United Nations unveiled the Zero Draft of the Global Plastics Treaty. This text is designed to guide and support the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee at their upcoming meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, in November, the goal being to have a formal treaty in place by the end of 2024. The initial draft is just that, a draft. So far, it seems promising that vital elimination and reduction topics are now firmly on the agenda. However, the outline of interventions is not nearly specific enough to get us to the goal of ending plastic pollution.

On the 15th of September, with little fanfare or explanation, the European Plastic Pact announced that it would cease operating. In this article, Emma Samson, marketing communications manager at Searious Business, asks: if the Plastic Pact covering the largest and arguably the most-circular economic region in the world cannot succeed in its objectives, is there any hope for other voluntary actions?

Imagine you’ve been worried about the fate of our planet from a really young age. And one day when you’re old and grey, you want to look back on your life and see that you did your absolute best. The work you did had a demonstrable positive impact on the environment. Then you’re not going to waste your time with trivial tasks. You put all your energy where you can make the most difference. For example, at corporate monoliths such as Unilever. Or even at the UN summit where environmental goals and measures are set at global scale. Only then can you turn your sustainable ambition into serious business. Or in the case of Willemijn Peeters: Searious Business.

Plastic pollution is a global crisis needing a worldwide solution. SIDS suffer the most, facing waste on their shores and their own plastic generation. Urgent action is crucial, emphasises Emma Samson.

Plastic pollution is having a colossal impact on our oceanic ecosystems. Small Island Developing States (SIDS), in particular, experience a deluge of plastic waste either washing up on their beaches or from plastic they generate themselves. These vulnerable economies, primarily dependent on tourism and fishing, can be devastated by pollution. Since 2019, Searious Business has been working with the IUCN on their "Close the Plastic Tap" Program to mitigate plastic pollution on six Caribbean and Pacific islands. Several options and methodologies were shown to work well—but a holistic approach is needed—hence this Blueprint to guide the way.

Debating into the dead of night – the intergovernmental negotiating committee of over 170 country delegates and observers kept many of us at the edge of our seats. After all, there is a lot at stake: like the climate and the biodiversity crises, plastic pollution is now also officially a planetary crisis. A UN Treaty on Plastics will have the ability to change this and can have a profound impact on the way we produce and consume plastics. Willemijn Peeters gives her take on negotiations so far.

In March, a report commissioned by McDonald's seemed to suggest that reusable packaging targets set out by the PPWR were not appropriate for the informal eating sector and could even increase overall waste. Such short-sighted conservatism encouraged by incentivised packaging associations cannot go unchallenged. The success of reuse will depend on the economics of scale and widespread behavioural change. Who better to set up a logistical network for reuse in take-away than the international market leaders?