Cazoolo, Braskem’s circular packaging design lab, announces a strategic partnership with iFood, a leading Brazilian technology company in online delivery, for the development of reusable packaging. The initiative aimed to reduce waste disposal in delivery services and promote conscious consumption without compromising the consumer experience. The project sought to validate the packaging with a group of restaurants and consumers, with the future goal of reaching the pilot planning phase.
Fabio Sant’Ana, responsible for Market Development and New Business at Cazoolo, emphasizes that the project has great potential to positively impact the delivery market. This is because everything was developed with a user-centered design approach, aiming to deliver excellence in restaurant operations, food consumption, and packaging return. “The development of reusable packaging represents a significant step toward sustainability in practice. We are constantly striving to promote circular packaging design, improve waste management, and minimize impact at every stage of the supply chain,” he states.
The project required that the packaging be easily recyclable in the post-consumer chain, leak-proof during transport, and easy to clean to enable new usage cycles and high efficiency (both in restaurant operations and in shipping and return logistics for reuse). “We researched all the requirements for reusable packaging and the biggest pain points in delivery to create an ideal model. Then, we ran the Circular Design Sprint—Cazoolo’s program focused on accelerating circular projects—to create, prototype, and refine the project until we had the ideal solution, always within a short timeframe. With the project finalized, it was time to gather feedback from restaurants and consumers, and we received very positive responses,” comments Sant’Ana.
Test with restaurants and consumers
Representatives from Cazoolo and iFood conducted a survey with restaurant owners and consumers to develop the design of the reusable packaging. Information about delivery operations and the ideal characteristics for packaging—from consumption to post-consumption and visual aspects—was evaluated by the team to develop the solution. “This was a fundamental process in our journey. We were able to identify the most sensitive points and understand how far consumers would be willing to adjust their standard routine, switching from disposable packaging to reusable packaging, in favor of a delivery service with less waste,” adds Sant’Ana.
The results achieved fully met iFood’s expectations. “Concern about the packaging delivered to consumers has always been a hallmark of our business. To achieve our sustainability goals, we sought innovative partners, and working side by side with Cazoolo represented a step forward toward more sustainable solutions,” says Fabiane Staschower, senior sustainability coordinator at iFood.
