We worked with the Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council (SWRC), with funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada, to develop guidance for scaling reusable grocery packaging systems across the Canadian Prairies region.
Reusable packaging is becoming a key part of the transition to a circular economy, helping retailers, brands, and governments reduce packaging waste and associated environmental impacts. Reusable packaging systems are developing in Canada, and the Prairie provinces have several advantages for implementation, including strong depot-return culture, trusted collection networks, and integrated supply chains.
This report sets out to support retailers, depot operators, reuse service providers, and policymakers to design, test, and scale consumer-facing reuse systems, with a particular emphasis on prefilled, return‑on‑the-go models.
The work focused on reusable grocery retail packaging, including food, beverage, and household products. We analyze how suitable the Prairie region is for reuse models in this context, what limited trials can and can’t tell us, near-term product opportunities, and what trial conditions are required to generate useful learnings. Findings include insights on design choices, infrastructure requirements, governance arrangements, and sequencing considerations required to scale reuse effectively.
Drawing on international experience, regional infrastructure, and emerging practice, the guidance also translates lessons from pilots and existing infrastructure networks into clear recommendations for key stakeholder groups.
The guidance provides a practical roadmap to reduce packaging waste through reusable packaging, supporting the transition from small-scale trials to coordinated, scalable reuse systems across the Canadian Prairies.
Download the report here.
