Food service company Compass Group UK & Ireland has expanded the deployment of a reusable food and drink packaging system across several of its partner sites in an effort to drive down waste.
Using Cauli’s tech-led system enables the business to reduce the amount of single-use packaging in its operations. The rollout follows what Compass suggests was a successful proof-of-concept phase across its Compass’ Restaurant Associates Group, Eurest, Chartwells and Healthcare sectors.
The system utilises smart tracking technologies, enabling participating customers to borrow and return food and drink containers and return via a reverse vending machine. Each container is reusable up to 400 times, according to Compass – and they have a unique digital ID to maximise data transparency about the system’s usage.
To date, Compass estimates more than 383,000 single-use packaging items have been eliminated from its operations as a result of using Cauli.
Ashleigh Taylor, head of environment at Compass Group UK & Ireland, remarked: “We’ve been really impressed by Cauli’s innovative reusable cups and container initiative, and the statistics we’ve seen back up that the system can have a positive impact in reducing single use packaging.
“We are now looking to roll out Cauli further within our business, which will support our commitment to reducing single-use packaging and help our clients in becoming more sustainable.”
Mingqiao Zhao, co-founder of Cauli, added: “A truly circular economy relies on accountability, not just alternatives.
“Many reuse schemes fail because without tracking, packaging simply disappears. By integrating smart traceability into the Cauli Reuse System, we keep containers in circulation and deliver data-backed waste reduction at scale. Partnering with Compass has allowed us to prove our technology in high-volume, cross-sector environments, and we are thrilled to expand this rollout to help more of their clients seamlessly transition to a frictionless, circular model.”
Cauli was founded in 2019 by Zhao and Josephine Laing, who were inspired to do something about the constant piling up of food packaging in their street and office bins as a result of the vibrant food/street market scene in London.
They acknowledged that even restaurants who had started using compostable packaging did not have the infrastructure to ensure their packaging avoided landfill, so set about designing a system that could help make a difference in this space.
Sites offering Cauli encourage consumers to borrow reusable packaging which they can scan to earn and redeem awards. Once they have used the item and eaten or drunk the contents, they return the packaging which is then washed using the host venue’s usual dishwashing facilities.
Read more about Compass Group on Green Retail World
[image credit: Green Retail World]
