The Buddie Pack Chronicles: The Book of Reuse

The WP4 adventurers have returned — maps drawn, models tested, strategies refined — and are now recording their discoveries in the master spellbook: the Book of Reuse (aka Report 4.3). Each “spell” isn’t magic in the usual sense, but carefully crafted knowledge to help businesses, partners, and policymakers to bring reuse systems to life. This is no ordinary book: it’s designed to travel across realms, from industry to municipalities, from research to practice. Spreading wisdom far beyond its origin.

Spell I – Charm of Choice
There’s no one model fits all for reuse and refill. This chapter explores and compares business models, from pooled systems and brand-owned packaging to consumer-owned and refill-based solutions and matches them to different contexts. Stakeholders can identify the approaches best suited to their sector, scale, infrastructure, and users, ensuring each system is fit for purpose.

Spell II – Potion of Participation
Even the best system relies on high engagement and return rates. This section offers strategies to motivate return and reuse through financial strategies, including deposits, loyalty schemes, subscriptions, and pricing approaches. The goal is to make reuse intuitive and appealing, removing barriers and encouraging long-term adoption.

Spell III At what costs 

As they set out to design new packaging systems to free the world from waste and emissions, they soon realised that change would require investment. Their approach promised cheaper delivery and consumption in the long run, but nothing comes without an initial cost. To make participation clear and transparent, they mapped out who would carry which costs — and once each coin was placed, it became clear: spending wisely today would mean saving more tomorrow.

Spell IV– Sigil of Sustainability
Policy and regulation can accelerate the shift from single-use to reuse. Here, we examine how Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), eco-modulation, and emerging standards shape costs and investments into reuse systems such as shared infrastructure. Understanding these drivers helps stakeholders turn regulatory challenges into opportunities for innovation, and policy makers shape regulations in a sensible and supportive manner.

Looking Ahead
With the Book of Business in Reuse being complete, the next step is testing models, validating impact, and refining strategies based on real-life testing. As it spreads across sectors, the book becomes a shared resource, empowering others to design, adapt, and scale reuse systems in their own realms. The adventure continues, from theory to implementation. Hopefully from one domain to many!